Shadow the Hedgehog: The Just and the Fallen
by Jun Yabriel
Summary: Shadow the Hedgehog is not only the prized product of Project Shadow, but the catalyst to Earth's destruction. Not intimidated by this form of ultimate power, at first, Rouge the Bat's orders are to detain Shadow. But what happens when she saves him instead? And despite fifty years of suspended pain and madness, only Shadow can save his new home...from himself. "Thank you, Mother."
1. Segment One: The Discovery

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment One ****–**** The Discovery**

'Well, here I go…on another boring mission, I suppose…'

Rouge was riding an elevator down to Subterranean Floor Two of Area 99, to where her office was. She leaned casually against the wall with crossed arms as long fluorescent lamps flashed skyward. She eyed them blankly.

'Here comes my stop,' she thought flatly, standing up from her lean.

The large elevator gates slid open with a remarkably quiet hiss. She exited through them and entered the vast corridor, where federal agents, researchers, scientists, and staff traffic usually flowed.

Area 99 was a very large building on the desert surface, but underneath was where most of the work got done. This was where Rouge had to work—instead of top-secret—in order to ascend through the federal ranks.

With that in mind, she sighed hopelessly.

She came to her office door; "SL-235", its number read. She presented her ID card to the security module. It scanned the card, and after a few brief seconds, it gave an approving _"bing". _Rouge smiled and stepped through the motion-sensing door. It hissed silently shut, while Rouge stood half-akimbo in thought.

"It's about time," she said. "While my next assignment is being processed, now's a good time to just loll around and relax."

She strolled over to her desk. It was well-organized—too meticulous for Rouge's taste—with a sole desk lamp shining a bright light, casting lonely shadows in the corners of the room. Atop of her desk lay something askew.

"Huh?" Rouge wondered, getting closer to her desk. "What's this?"

She sat down in the swivel chair and rolled it closer to the desk. She began to examine the beige folder curiously. It was blank, front and back. She placed it back on the desk and carefully opened the folder. Her eyes widened slightly.

It was Case File 2395, the file that explained the most top secret operation.

"Project: Shadow," Rouge awed. She began to flip through the several-paged document; then something caught her eye. She flipped back a few pages and noticed a satellite picture of a strange spherical structure eclipsing the moon from a profile view. She blinked a little and continued to flip through. Then, more pages after, a card with four headshots appeared. From the top-left corner, Rouge read the little biography about the first person.

"'Tsumura Tomohiro. Thirty-five-year-old of Japanese descent. Black hair, dark-brown eyes, and eyeglasses. Biogenetics specialist. Deceased…' Wait a minute!" Rouge exclaimed. "'Deceased'?"

She flashed her eyes over to the next photo. "'Irene Celton. Twenty-eight-year-old of Irish-American descent. Reddish-orange hair, green eyes, and eyeglasses. Bioenergetics specialist… Deceased.' Wait, hold on."

She glanced at the next photo. "'Allen Roderich. Thirty-two-year-old of German-American descent. Blond hair, blue eyes… Biorhythms and Biotelemetry specialist…' Deceased, as well."

She looked at the last picture. She furrowed her brows. "She's probably dead, too," she said to herself. "But she looks oddly familiar."

She read, "'Laura Harris. Twenty-eight-year-old of African-American descent. Black hair, blue eyes, and eyeglasses. Genetic Molecular Biology specialist…' Yeah."

Rouge leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms.

'How did all of these scientists…die?' Rouge asked herself.

She stared more deeply into Laura Harris's face.

* * *

><p>"There was an incident that occurred on the ARK,"…<p>

THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - CENTRAL CITY—14:37

The President continued, "If you haven't read moreover. It was…" He sat back in his chair. "…Catastrophic. It was reported that the GUN officers had infiltrated the ARK, in desperate need of information as to where Project Shadow's subject was, so they could do the God knows what to him—?"

"Him?" Rouge wondered, raising a curious eyebrow.

"It was confirmed that the Project's subject was male."

Rouge blinked a little. "Okay…" She shrank back in her seat, blushing slightly.

"Umm, anyway, during the infiltration, innocents were immediately killed either for insubordination or for fleeing…and the four of them…" The President showed her the photographs of the four scientists. "They were found dead among the victims. A team of the world's best geneticists…Professor Gerald Robotnik's specialized team of biology experts to assist in the Project. Fifty years ago…"

"Fifty years ago?" Rouge exclaimed, a bit startled. "I thought this was recent!"

The President stared blankly at her for a moment. "You're not a very attentive reader, are you? You apparently skimmed through it." He opened up the file and scanned a few paragraphs. "If you read closely, it specifically says the year A.D. 3186. Do the math. Fifty years ago…"

"What's your point?"

"Well, my overall point is this incident dates back fifty years, and due to its 'cold case' status, I want _you_ to close it."

"_Me?"_ Rouge objected, pointing at herself. "But why me? Can't you get someone else to do it? I mean, my rank number isn't very high, and I don't think I'm ready for that kind of responsibility yet. Heh heh…?"

"I'll promote you three military rankings, _and _I'll throw in this, if you successfully close this case." He revealed a diamond of remarkable size from within a glass case inside of a drawer. "I'll be saving it for you." He quirked an eyebrow handsomely.

She gasped and snatched the gemstone out from the President's hand and gazed into it, her eyes sparkling.

"It's so _beautiful…" _she drawled.

The President then reached out and gently plucked the diamond back and encased it again. Rouge blinked out of her daze and looked at the President.

"So, do we have a deal?" the President inquired.

She stood from her seat. "Yes, sir! Agent Eighty-Eight reporting for duty, sir!"

"Ah, Rouge, I know you won't fail me. Just consider yourself…Agent Number Ninety-One from now on."

Rouge smirked appealingly to that. She saluted loyally. "Agent Number Ninety-One reporting for duty, Chief."

The President nodded to her.

"Sir!"

The President and Rouge shot their gazes at the incoming GUN soldier. As Rouge blinked, the President growled.

"What's wrong?" the President demanded an answer.

Slightly out of breath, the soldier replied, "The Subject… He's been found!"

Rouge gasped; the President's eyes gaped. Rouge sharply looked back at her boss.

"Go with him, Ninety-One," the President ordered. "Soldier, send the coordinates straight to the Assault Leader and have him mobilize a Mecha Assault Unit! We need that Subject in custody, now! Now, both of you, go!"

"Yes, sir!" Both agents sharply saluted and headed out.

The President sat back down and sighed. His eyes glistened, purely determined. He frowned.

"The 'Ultimate Life Form'…found?" He blinked slowly. "We need to get to him…before _they_ do."

EMERALD TOWN—15:25

Rouge was soaring high through the cloudless sky over Emerald Town, a quaint little town some miles southwest of Central City, with a squad from the Mecha Assault Unit flying after her. She had been given the location of the Subject sighting as well, leading the small battalion to it. She scanned the ground for any enemy sightings.

"Be careful, Ninety-One," one of the mecha pilots advised her, using her new rank number. "Three enemy mecha spotted not too far off, three kilometers ahead!"

"You guys are the ones who should be careful," Rouge fired back sweetly, winking. "I'll capture the Subject if you guys distract them for me."

"Understood, ma'am," affirmed the four Assault Mecha pilots.

Then, the five of them separated, the four mecha splitting into groups of two while Rouge flew solo toward a nearby hiding spot.

The three enemy targets were also Assault Mecha, but of different origin—apparently, an antagonist government. The pilots inside shot their eyes toward the incoming GUN Mecha. Before they had a chance to escape, the GUN Mecha slammed themselves into their targets, armed with blades. A battle soon ensued.

Waiting amidst the fighting, Rouge gauged the attention spans of the enemy soldiers and watched for a window of opportunity to open up. Her eyes spied on each enemy mecha. She calculated the moment to take off and went with it; and with the Subject in her sights she took off at full speed. She watched out for the mecha's footing and landed next to the Subject.

Dusting off some sand, Rouge lifted the Subject into her arms.

"Hey! She's got the Subject!" an enemy pilot yelled. He lunged out, throwing a claw out at her. "Get her!"

She didn't give herself a moment to waste. But she flew away just before the claw was caught by her comrade. She took off into the sky, evading the fighting mecha's swinging arms, taking the Subject with her.

"Number Ninety-One!" one of comrades yelled to her. "Where the hell are you going?"

"Somewhere safe," Rouge said into her radio link. She glanced at the Project: Shadow Subject, a black hedgehog with crimson streaking along the curves of his body, who was still unconscious.

"Number Ninety-One!" the same pilot from before called out while still engaged in battle. He snarled, "What the hell…! Number Ninety-One!"

Rouge ignored the cries and blinked sadly down at the person in her arms. "Please, don't die…"

With a sense of urgency, she quickly left the combat scene and accelerated.

**Segment One Completed.**


	2. Segment Two: The Hidden Secret

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Two ****–**** The Hidden Secret**

MYSTIC RUINS—16:57

_"Clank!"—"Twist…"_

_"Clank!"—"Twist…"_

Miles Prower—otherwise known as "Tails"—was at it again, modifying his new fighter jet, the Sonic Monsoon, to seat four people instead of just one. The blueprint of the aircraft was being weighed down on top of his work desk. The blueprint itself seemed to have changed dramatically; yet the aerodynamics, measure, and most of its design were all mathematically and physically correct.

All very much accurate for an eight-year-old boy.

_"Knock!"—"Knock!"—"Knock!"_

Someone was at Tails's door. He looked away from his work and blinked a little.

'Hmm…' he thought. 'Sonic's back. But he just left two minutes ago… He's back already?' He only shrugged his shoulders, got down from his post, and exited his workshop.

Entering the living quarters, he ran to answer the persistent rapping at the door.

"All right! All right, I'm coming!" he shouted back.

He gripped the door's lock, unlocked it, and opened the door.

Much to his surprise, Rouge was standing there, with the battered Project: Shadow Subject in her arms. He looked so weak and frail Tails gasped.

"Who is—!" Tails began.

"No time," Rouge insisted. "He needs your medical attention, now."

* * *

><p>After about thirty minutes, Tails and Rouge had a patient. They stayed in a given room to monitor him. Rouge looked out the window, seemingly daydreaming. She was pondering on the option of taking him to Area 33, a nearby GUN base that was located some where in the forest there. Knowing that the President would promote her, she had to report in sometime.<p>

'I should head over to Area 33 as soon as he recovers,' Rouge processed in her head. 'Hmm…'

But something in her told her not to.

"So, what's his name?" the fox boy asked.

"Huh, what…?" Rouge looked over at Tails and blinked. "Oh! Well, his known names are 'Project: Shadow' and the 'Ultimate Life Form,'" Rouge replied, eyeing the subject from the corner of her eye. "But I read in a government file that his real name is Shadow the Hedgehog."

"How'd you read it in a government file?"

She stood half-akimbo. "It's a long story, kid…"

Shadow was lying in a small white-sheeted bed comfortably. His scars and burns had been bandaged, but he had yet to open his eyes. He had also been showered clean by Rouge. As difficult as that was, the little reminder made her blush intensely.

Rouge sighed. "Way too long and complicated to explain…"

"Hey! Tails! Where are you?" someone called from outside the room.

Rouge's blush swiftly fled, and her and Tails's glances snapped toward the doorway.

"Oh! Sonic's back," he cried, running towards the doorway to greet his friend. "Sonic! Sonic!"

After shutting the door behind him, Sonic looked over to the source of the calling, and smiled at him. "Hey, Tails—!" he greeted.

But then, Tails threw his arms around Sonic and hugged him fiercely.

"I'm…back from my run… Ah heh heh," he choked from Tails's squeeze. "Long time no see?"

Then, Tails released Sonic's abdomen and cried, "Sonic, there's someone here I want you to see." He grabbed his wrist. "Come on!"

"Umm…? All right, then—Whoa!"

Tails was practically towing Sonic into following him to Shadow's room. A few steps before they reached the door, Tails said, "He's right in here. Just inside this room…"

"Tails, who in the world are you talk—!"

Sonic paused, gazing into the room, at the being in the bed before him. His jaw went slightly agape at the comatose hedgehog.

"Oh, wow…" Sonic sighed in awe. He slowly approached Shadow. He gazed deeply into his face and blinked. "He looks…just like _me."_

"He could be your twin," Rouge tagged on the comment playfully. "That is, if you make a few genetic alterations, I mean."

"Where did you find him?" Sonic asked, glancing back at Rouge.

"I found him buried in the sand at Emerald Beach. He was terribly wounded. I managed to resuscitate him, but he stopped breathing again on the way here."

"Well, at least he's here now, safe and sound. We'll all chip in to take care of him. And since I'm the leader, I'll be assigning jobs for you guys to do," Sonic added, smirking slyly.

"Now, hold on a minute, Sonic," Tails argued. "I'm head of this workshop, so _I'll_ be the one issuing jobs!"

"It just so happens that I'm older than you, Tails, and I can make wiser decisions. So, I'm going to do it." Sonic said smugly, keeping his smirk plastered on his face.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Streaks of lightning sparked between the two rivaling boys as they flashed their fangs and growled. Rouge had to stand in the midst of their fighting, ears folded lowly atop of her head, sweating a little. Then, she clenched a trembling fist.

"As the _oldest_ out of the three of us, will you two _please_ take that outside?" she growled, fiery annoyance flaring in her eyes.

The boys took a moment to see her seething and blinked.

"Ah heh heh…eh…? Bye!" they both stuttered nervously, sweating a bit. Then they whipped around the corner, out of the room.

Once they were gone, Rouge calmed. She drew in a deep breath and sighed.

"Any longer and my head would've burst into flames," she commented gladly. Then she glanced back to Shadow, who had been resting the entire time. She stared deeply into his face, examining the details.

'He does have the same facial structure as Sonic,' she brainstormed suspiciously. 'But…how did he turn out so different, if not, so…perfect?'

She pondered on about the question as she exited the room, silently shutting the door behind her.

Now, Shadow was alone in the darkness of twilight, unconscious and unaware of his real surroundings. He was drifting through several different realms within his subconsciousness until he was deeply dreaming. Or, he was recalling a vague memory.

'I remember…pain…a scorching pain…searing off my flesh. It hurts so badly. I was falling…toward that blue planet. As I fell nearer and nearer…I felt myself drifting farther and farther out of awareness. I was blacking out…but then…I came in contact with the sea. Clear, blue water. Beautiful water. I was so out of it, I didn't even realize I was drowning. Am I…going to die…?

'Then, I remember…waking up again…in a horizon of fine gravel…after what felt like an eternity. I felt myself in the arms of someone. So white and so gentle with me in their arms…but I had passed out again…into unconsciousness.

'I remember a human who was gentle, just like that person was. She said she helped create me. She designed my genetic blueprint, and I was intrigued by her. She was a kind and compassionate woman. She had a strong will and a caring heart…

'I also remember…that day in parts and fragments… I miss her. I really do. Professor Harris…'

THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - CENTRAL CITY—17:57

"Sir, Agent Number Ninety-One has the Subject in her custody, but she has not reported in or even communicated with us about her and the Subject's whereabouts, and her current location is unknown."

The President had been waiting for a response about the Subject's capture, but instead he had received a report about Rouge taking off to an unknown location; one of the pilots from the combat scene was the one that reported it in.

'Damn!' the President exclaimed in his mind. 'Now is _not _the time to go AWOL, Rouge!'

He sighed roughly. "Find them. Find them, now! We can't afford to have that hedgehog fall into the wrong hands!"

"Yes, sir!" All four pilots saluted.

"I want my Air Force and Mecha Assault Units searching, on the double!"

"You've got it, sir!"

Then, the four soldiers swiftly filed out of the President's chamber and took off to Area 33, in a deep forest within Mystic Ruins.

The President slammed a fist against his desk and growled.

'Rouge, why?' the thought raced in his head.

TAILS'S WORKSHOP - MYSTIC RUINS—18:15

Crimson eyes slowly opened. Shadow moaned.

Outside, it was evening. The crescent moon had risen and was glowing quite brightly. There was not a cloud in the empty night sky; just the moon in all its glory. Beyond the window, there was a distant sound of waterfalls. The evening winds began to breeze through, whistling softly.

Shadow sat up in bed, rubbing his bandaged head. He sensed the throbbing pain of his burns returning. And so, he moaned, clenching his teeth. He started to look around. His surroundings were all but familiar to him.

"Where am I?" he asked, obviously to himself since no one else was around. He pulled aside his sheets and swung his legs, which were also wrapped in gauze, over the edge of the bed. That was when he noticed his shoes were missing, and his gloves along with them. He blinked, confused. He curiously examined his hands. They were covered in sticky bandages over his cuts and burns. His entire body had been swathed with gauze wraps and covered in bandages. Shadow blinked again.

"Was I hurt this badly?" he asked himself again.

He then stood from the bedside, bracing a nearby side table to maintain balance.

"Yes, you were," a feminine voice rang out. Rouge had entered the room just before Shadow had a chance to hurt himself. "I wouldn't try getting up if I were you. You should be resting," she added, approaching him, but then stopped.

"Wait," Shadow halted her. "You're the one who rescued me. I remember, now…"

"Yeah, that was me…" Rouge trailed off, blushing a bit. "I had to get you out of there, so…"

"Forgive my rudeness, but where are we?"

Rouge blinked, her blush never fading. 'He's a lot hotter than I had originally thought…' She composed herself and answered him. "Umm…we're in a workshop in Mystic Ruins. You've only been here for a few hours…and in case you were wondering, my name is Rouge the Bat, world-renowned treasure hunter." She winked. "I'm also the one that brought you here," she added, sounding a bit too proud.

"And again, I thank you, Miss Rouge."

"Oh, please, just call me Rouge, if you'd like," Rouge added on, batting her eyelashes. She winked again. "I don't mind."

The feminine gesture caused Shadow's cheeks to redden slightly. As he looked away from her, a dormant memory was triggered in his mind.

_"Oh, please, call me Laura…" she said, smiling. "I don't mind. Not at all…"_

"Ugh…" Shadow moaned through clenched teeth, holding his head. "Ah, my head…"

"Are you okay?" Rouge asked. She slowly approached him.

"My…My head," Shadow said softly. "It hurts a little."

Rouge made a kind face. "Here, let's sit down."

* * *

><p>"Is it all right if I leave you in here alone?" Rouge sounded concerned.<p>

Shadow looked at her getting from off the bed before looking away. "Please, if that's fine with you—?"

"Yeah…you go ahead and get some rest," Rouge said, heading toward the doorway. She paused to stand there, looking back at the hedgehog. "Okay?" She kindly smiled at him.

Shadow was gazing back out the window, watching the moon leisurely float through the sky. He did not reply.

'Oh, he's so cool and collected…and his voice is so deep and suave!' Rouge thought excitedly, her cheeks tickled pink.

She stopped for a moment, so she could say, "Well, um, goodnight."

Shadow kept his eyes away from her, still taking in the atmosphere around him. She blinked a little and closed the door behind her. He seemed so calm and harmless, through Rouge's eyes. Despite this, stirring up at the back of her mind, she remembered that the President wanted him captured. She sighed woefully.

"The President," she recalled. "He wants him captured…but why?"

Rouge walked up the hallway toward Tails's room, which doubled as his workshop. She silently wrung the doorknob and went through the door. It squealed slowly and softly.

THE GUN AREA 33 - MYSTIC RUINS—18:46

The GUN Assault Leader, No. Ninety-Seven, overlooked the Air Force troops' mobilization, the soldiers hastening and minding their preparations for the mission. His short brown hair waved in the air that flooded in from the hangars. He watched with his bluish-gray eyes as his military mecha units mobilized as well. The partnering forces, the Assault Unit and the Air Force, were both ready for their mission.

The GUN Air Force Captain, No. Ninety-Eight, walked up to his mecha counterpart and stood next to him. He was a bit shorter physically, compared to the Assault Leader, but he usually let his rank stand higher.

"I don't think the Helios Rockets will be necessary for this mission," No. Ninety-Seven said to him.

"Let's make this fun, though," No. Ninety-Eight replied, chuckling a little.

_"Both of you," they remembered the President telling them. "No. Ninety-Eight, I want you to have your men search every area between Emerald Town and Central City by air. No. Ninety-Seven, your mecha pilots will join in, searching on foot. Assemble your Assault Units, and have them transported via Aero-Hangars. I want that hedgehog found, and I want him found tonight! There's no time to waste! Now, go!"_

They both smirked. "Yes, sir!"

Both men watched their brigades of troops head out of the hangars at full speed.

TAILS'S WORKSHOP - MYSTIC RUINS—18:51

"Tails," Rouge whispered softly, shaking him a little.

The young fox boy had fallen asleep while designing a new guidance system for the Sonic Monsoon. He was so deep in sleep that not even the light of his desk lamp was disturbing him.

"Tails…? Tails."

Then, she stopped.

'I should let him sleep,' she thought considerately. She only smiled down at him and lightly pecked a kiss on the boy's head. "Such a hard worker," she whispered in a motherly voice.

She walked over to a large computer screen and sat down in front of it. The dark screen brightened with power at a touch of the mouse.

Using her GUN Identification Card, Rouge was able to log into the military's database.

"Okay," she said, psyching herself to type. "Here I go! Time to do some research."

Curious, Rouge found the International Records Database for all missions and operations to ever happen during the "united" stage of the GUN. Slightly confused by that, she scanned down the list, file after file, until finding a specific one. She opened it and read its contents.

Case File 2405: The Guardian Units of the Nation (GUN) had taken action upon their assignment to shut down the ARK and the activities that were happening there. Operation: ARK's Indestructible Seal was all set up as a search-and-destroy mission by the designated Chief Federal Ops Corps—personally ordered by the President. But, instead of following the orders of the Commander-in-Chief to exclusively target the research facilities and the Subject, the Federal Ops killed the scientists involved with the Project. The President had specifically stated to place the head of the Project, Professor Gerald Robotnik, under arrest, so that he could be tried for all counts of conspiracy and treason against the GUN; but the Federal Ops had killed him as well.

After the massacre and with the mission officially deemed as a failure, after searching for eleven months, the GUN separated. Part of the reason was said to be that the commander of the Federal Ops had gone off on a tangent, and failed to destroy the escape pod, the one that contained the Subject, supposedly realizing that doing so would immediately terminate the mission.

That branched from the other part of the reason: The original command _was, _in fact, to destroy the Subject, but they let him go on the pretext of "the failure to identify the Subject's escape pod". That bogus reason angered the President, who was aware of how potentially dangerous the Project: Shadow Subject was intended to be. As a result to his infuriation, he issued the edict of the separation of the GUN, thus forming two factions: the GUN Federal Forces and the GUN Rebellion.

— End of Case File —

"Hmm…" Things seemed to be piecing together for Rouge. "Now that they've miraculously spared his life, the government has become two separate branches." She recalled Shadow's stoic face. "And now he's here with me and the boys, safe and sound. But I still don't understand…"

Tails was just rousing from sleep while Rouge browsed through more of the database, looking for any more Project: Shadow files. He yawned, patting a hand over his mouth; it was loud enough so that Rouge's ears flicked.

"I hear you're up," she greeted the boy without looking away from the screen.

Tails rubbed his eyes and blinked a little.

"Rouge?" he wondered, a bit confused. "What are you still doing up?" He checked the clock on his desk. "It's almost three in the morning…" He was rubbing his eyes. "And you're not sleepy yet?"

"I kind of am," Rouge spoke up. "But I'm too busy to sleep right now. You should go back to bed, though—?"

"Nah. Once I'm up, I can't go back to sleep." He smiled. "So, what's keeping you up?"

"History… Recent history."

She browsed, clicking on more files, trying to find something somewhat restricted. She skimmed over various details of information, still in search for any more Project: Shadow files. Then, a warning icon popped up on screen. It said:

WARNING: You Are About To Access A Highly Restricted Page.

For GUN Security Verification, You Must Enter The Password.

'Damn it,' Rouge thought critically. 'What password? Hmm…I guess ever since the GUN split up, they're storing info in two different databases, making sure one doesn't hack into the other…'

She smirked. "Okay, no problem! It's probably something obvious. Let's try SHADOW."

But, after typing the codeword in, as a result all she received was a cold emotionless "Access Denied." This made Rouge frown.

"Umm…" Tails drawled. 'I'm assuming that wasn't supposed to happen.'

A sweat drop fell along Tails's jaw line.

Rouge's cheek bubbled. "All right, I like to see how you play. How about ARK, since the Project took place there?"

Yet another "Access Denied."

"Umm…5207? Shadow's Experiment Number?"

And another "Access Denied."

"G-U-N?"

Access Denied.

"This is getting annoying. PROJECT SHADOW?"

Access Denied.

"Damn it all…! I give up!" Rouge growled angrily.

Tails glanced through a file she had opened, spotting a clue Rouge hadn't tried. "Here, let me try," the boy said confidently.

"Knock yourself out, kid," Rouge remarked passively, lending her seat to him.

Tails eagerly got into the chair and typed in ROBOTNIK. He submitted it.

"Access Granted," the computerized voice chimed.

Rouge only stood there, staring blank-faced at the monitor while the file loaded. Tails grinned modestly.

'Fucking bastards,' Rouge stubbornly stormed, gritting her teeth. "How _did_ you?"

"Heh heh…well, it was nothing really. I just glanced at a file and came across 'Robotnik.' It was highlighted…" Tails pointed out.

Rouge gawked, blinking. She pouted.

"Heh heh, I hope I didn't make you look stupid or anything." Tails scratched behind his head.

Rouge just glared emotionlessly at the fox child. "Whatever. Anyway…"

The file was finished downloading and displayed itself on screen. The amount of kilobytes was given, and it seemed pretty long, according to the digital size. Tails blinked a little, impressed by the sheer size of the file.

Rouge smirked. "All right," she said, opening the file. "Let's find out who this Robotnik guy is, and more about our patient."

**Segment Two Completed.**


	3. Segment Three: The Revelation

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Three ****–**** The Revelation**

Tails began to narrate: "'Case File 2395: Project: Shadow was an experimental project organized by the world-renowned Professor Gerald Ulrich Robotnik. He was desperately willing to transcend human limits by creating a life form of ultimate power and agelessness. Knowing that humans could never transcend the limits of physical age and the inevitability of death, he commemorated the Project to his deceased granddaughter, Maria Angelise Robotnik, who suffered from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and died at the age of nine. So, Professor Robotnik gathered every expert biogenetics specialist on Earth, months after initiating Project: ARK (See File 2391 for reference). There, he handpicked the top four biologists in the world to serve as his team: Professor Daisuke Tomohiro of Japan, Professor Rachel Celton of Ireland, Professor Adam Roderich of Germany, and Professor Darcy Harris of the United States.

"'The specific jobs the four were given had important significance to the Project. Professor Harris was given the honor to sketch out the genetic outlook of the life form's appearance; Professor Tomohiro was assigned to reproduce that outlook by giving it a physical body; and after creation, Professor Roderich was advised to test and record all functions in the life form's body, while Professor Celton was privileged to study Chaos Energy stability within the life form using the Chaos Drives. They were pleased with their positions in the Project, but after decades of working, they retired and their sons and daughters took their places.

"'Robotnik gave the—confirmed male—life form a name. A poetic name that was attuned to how he felt when his light, Maria, was cast away. For someone to represent his vengeance and be his shadow.

"'Then, the name came to him: Shadow the Hedgehog.'"

Rouge commented, "Wow. He must have really been determined."

"'Project: Shadow was initialized, and it was estimated to take on thirty years of creation. — See File 2396 to continue…' Whoa! _Thirty years?" _Tails was purely surprised. He blinked. "Well, I guess they had a lot of time on their hands…?"

"Who had a lot of time on their hands?"

"Ah!" both Tails and Rouge yelped, striking exaggerated poses. They froze for a moment, but took some time to notice Sonic standing there, picking his ear.

"Sonic, don't do that!" Rouge said angrily.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing," Sonic apologized. "What are you two reading?"

Tails looked up at him. "Well, we were about to read the next file."

"File? About what?"

"_Click__—!"_

Rouge made a serious face. "About our patient."

Case File 2400: Shadow's Progress Reports…

I am opening my eyes for the first time. I see…faces…strange and unfamiliar. My vision is being blurred by a strange liquid, so I close my eyes.

Again, I open my eyes, but I see a peaceful face, the face of a human. She is smiling at me, as if she's glad to see me.

"Hello there," she greets me. "Welcome to our world, Shadow."

I can only stare at her blue eyes curiously and drowsily.

But she only giggles.

I take note of other people beginning to crowd around me. But I'm not afraid. I just continue to stare at the woman with blue eyes. I feel safe being in her presence. That feeling makes me…happy.

"Try smiling at him," a man with blond hair whispers to the woman. "He just might respond."

And so she does, the most beautiful smile. An assuring smile… A smile that makes me feel safe… That makes me want to smile, too. She makes it look so easy. But before I realized it, my hands were pressing against the glass barrier, wanting to get out…and I am smiling, too!

"He smiled!" Another woman nearby sounded excited. "Yay!"

"His first response to human contact was positive, Professor Robotnik," the blond man announces to an arriving fellow professor.

He is shorter than the others and seems to be a much older man. "Excellent." His glasses were gleaming in the artificial light. "Release him and have him follow us."

Now, all I can see is darkness.

I am looking downward. The only five people I can recognize are crowded around me in a dark room. I don't know what's going on, but I am waiting patiently.

Then, suddenly, the floor below us is sinking. I flinch, but the dark-skinned woman's grip on my hand tightens and she tells me it's all right. As the floor lowers, crowds of people begin coming into view under the only vision I have. They all applaud when they can see us completely.

"My fellow colleagues," the Professor bellows out to the lulled crowd. "May I present to you our greatest achievement in supreme biogenetic advancement, the result of all our hard work, determination, and persistence. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you…Shadow the Hedgehog."

Everyone is in awe of me, and I haven't yet lifted the hood of my white cloak. The dark-skinned woman guides me to the center of the platform and releases my hand. Doing so cues me to lift my hood. Everyone gasps and applauds, shouting praises and whistling.

"Behold! Our definition of immortality! Project: Shadow…! Shadow the Hedgehog!"

The Professor's team smiles at the audience, but the dark-skinned woman smiles down at me. I turn to look up at her, my eyes wide with childlike innocence. Soon, I look back out at the audience still praising my result. I lower my eyes back to the floor, my face tinged with scarlet.

* * *

><p>While skimming through some more of the journals on Shadow's progress, Rouge, Tails, and Sonic found an interesting report within the file:<p>

"'Day 18: Shadow's advancements were fast-moving, and as he has lived here he's developed a "normal" type of feel around other humans,'" Tails read. "'He has grown accustomed to being amongst the other scientists, and he had grown especially fond of Professor Harris…'"

Rouge blinked. 'That woman…?'

* * *

><p>Professor Harris and I decided to visit the botanical garden today. It is beautiful in its own natural way, just like she is. Her eyes are as blue as the water; her placid smile is beaming with light, and she seems to love nature.<p>

"Shadow," I hear her call. "This is the botanical garden, where we raise plant life for experiments. Like this…"

She carefully plucks a blue flower from a nearby bush. "Truly, roses are either pink, white, yellow, red, or gilded," she goes on to explain. "But this one was genetically altered to become blue. See?" She holds it close to my face.

I can only gaze at it in utter curiosity, amazed by how incredible it was to have the ability to change something so organic.

"Isn't it pretty?"

I blink and respond, "Yes…yes, it is," caught off guard by the question.

And yet, she only smiles at me, softly giggling. I catch her patting a hand on top of my head and smoothing out my spines. She gets to her feet and starts off going in a different direction. I follow her deeper into the garden.

We find a spot under a shady tree and sit under it, admiring the clearness of the pond's water. I can hear birds chirping nearby; in a branch overhead? Those birds then fly away in a flock, flying high over our heads. I blink.

"This place… It's beautiful," I can't help saying. "Everything here is so vivid and alive. I…kind of like it here."

I turn my sights to her and smirk.

"I agree," she says, smiling. "I love it here."

"I'm…glad to be here with you, Professor…!"

"Oh, please, call me Laura," she then says, giggling softly. "I don't mind. Not at all."

I blink, still smiling at her. "Okay."

After about an hour, I find myself awakening. I had fallen asleep underneath the tree's shade, and so had Miss Laura. I also find myself being held securely in her arms. I nuzzle against that familiar human warmth. I smile and go back to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Oh, how cute," Rouge cooed, her eyes sparkling. "They really did care for each other. That's so sweet." Then, Rouge's attitude swiftly changed. "It's…too bad that she's dead, though—?"<p>

"_Dead?"_ Tails and Sonic both exclaimed.

"What happened to her?" Sonic then asked.

"Let's read the next file and find out," Tails cued in. He veered the cursor over and clicked on it.

Case File 2403a: The GUN's Message…

Miss Laura and I are on our way down to the third floor of the ARK: the Residential Level, to where the scientists "live." We are riding an elevator down, gazing beyond the glass barrier out at the starry universe. I manage to point at a small comet flying past, and Miss Laura smiles at me.

More scientists are on this floor more than any of the others. The ARK is such a big place, and it houses up to one hundred, so the people here must have been lucky to work here.

Miss Laura and I walk through the corridor, but I'm holding onto Laura's hand. Biologists wave at us and rave over me. They were still impressed by me on how well I turned out.

"Oh, he's so precious," one female specialist complimented. "And he turned out ever so perfectly. Great job, Laura."

"Thank you," Miss Laura replied sweetly. "He did turn out perfectly, didn't he?"

I shy behind Miss Laura, looking elsewhere and clasping her hand a little tighter. They both giggle at my stoic bashfulness.

"Oh, he's so adorable, Laura!"

"Yes, he truly is an angel," Miss Laura says, smiling down at me, assuring me, and I instantly feel better. I smirk in return.

"Did you really mean to say I was perfect?" I ask her later, quite curious to know.

We are standing together in front of a large window, viewing the blue orb below. It looks like a marble, blue with white swirling around in it. I think of asking her about that next. I look at her with bright eyes as she lowers herself to a kneel in front of me.

"Of course I did, Shadow," she replies positively. She looks at me with honest eyes. "Because it's true."

I blink inquisitively at her.

"You are perfect, Shadow," she adds, placing a kind hand under my chin. "You were created to be that way. And I'm proud to have been privileged to help with your creation. I'm proud to be a sort of…mother to you."

'A mother?' I think calmly. "How can that be?"

"Well, it's hard to explain right now, but with time everything will become clear." She smiles.

I blink at her again and glance back down at the blue orb. After a moment, I ask, "What is that, Miss Laura?" pointing at it.

"That is Earth," she told me. "That's the planet I came from."

"Were you created down there?"

She giggles wholeheartedly. "No, not exactly. I was born on Earth, like everyone else here. Every human is known to be born, instead of "created". But you, Shadow, are unique. You're special in your own way. You were created as the human dream, to be an ageless life form with ultimate power. You…are the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow." She smiles once more. "And we're all happy to have you here with us."

I smile at her with admiration. I feel happy to be alive, to be with her. I didn't know what I'd do without her.

"Professor Harris!"

Miss Laura sees a familiar man coming toward us and gets to her feet again. "Professor Roderich," Miss Laura says. "What is it?"

He catches his breath before responding. "It's Robotnik. He says it's urgent."

I only stare up at him with concern on my face.

* * *

><p>We reach a room on the fourth floor, where Professor Gerald and the others are. Everyone is standing around a long table in front of a dark computer monitor. I blink, wondering what it is that's happening.<p>

"What is going on, Allen?" Miss Laura asks anxiously.

She grips my hand tighter. I look up at her with a glaring fear on my face.

"Did something happen?" she asks, subtly impatient now.

"It's the GUN," Professor Gerald announces gravely. He stands up from his chair and approaches his team of specialists. "They have declared the shutdown of the ARK. They want this project terminated immediately…but I have already refused. Now, they are on their way to shut it down by force. Somehow confidential information about the Project leaked into the government's database, and they believe Shadow is a threat to society, and they want him…destroyed."

"But they can't kill him!" Miss Irene exclaims frantically. She had slammed her palms against the table. "That's like killing a newborn—He's harmless! He hasn't even seen what it's like on Earth! How do _they _know if he is a threat?"

"They don't," the chief professor answers sternly. "But not to worry, Celton. He will not only be able to see Earth, but he will stay there," Professor Gerald assures all of us.

"We're going to send him to Earth alone?" Doctor Roderich interjected anxiously.

"There is nowhere else to send him, so we have no other choice. I'm sorry."

"But that's still risky, though. They'll still want to capture him."

"We don't have much of a choice, Roderich. We must send him to Earth immediately." The chief professor glances at me and Miss Laura. "Harris, will you please make sure he is safe?"

"Of course, sir," Miss Laura responds earnestly. "I will."

"Miss Laura?" I ask for her a bit nervously. "Am I…going to die?"

My words seem to have struck her heart faster than a bullet. She suddenly looks scared: tears begin to well up in her eyes and fall down her face.

Then, she falls to a kneel and pulls me into her arms, rocking me. I blink a little. I can hear small whimpers coming from her before she actually speaks.

"No, Shadow," she tells me surely as more tiny streams flow down her cheeks. "You're not going to die. I'll be here to protect you. I'm here…to keep you safe. No one's going to hurt you, Shadow. I won't let them."

She holds me closer to her body, to that ever-familiar human warmth that makes me feel safe. I instantly feel better, secure. I didn't want to be let go of. Not ever.

"You're safe with me, Shadow," Miss Laura reassures me. "I promise."

"Okay…" I agree softly, nuzzling closer to that warmth. Tears gently cradle in my eyelids. I think I'm feeling the same emotion she's feeling, and I don't like feeling this way. I don't want to feel this way…and I don't want Miss Laura to feel this way either.

The others—Miss Irene, Professor Roderich, and Tomohiro_-san_—all begin to crowd around us comfortingly.

I don't want her to feel this way anymore.

* * *

><p>"That was kind of depressing," Sonic said, after the read.<p>

"Yeah. I feel pretty bad," Tails added on to Sonic's comment.

"Wonder what happens next?" Rouge pondered intensely.

Tails drew the mouse over and continued on to the next file.

Case File 2403b: The ARK Incident…

I can hear sirens blaring their loud alarms throughout the colony as Miss Laura and I flee from the GUN soldiers. They had blasted an opening into the ARK and began their rampage looking for me. I'm frightened, frightened that we were all going to die…that I was going to be taken away, never to see Miss Laura again.

I am trying to set those thoughts aside and focus on escaping. Miss Laura has me by the wrist, towing me behind her as we run for our lives.

"She has the Subject!" one soldier from behind calls out. "Stop her!"

I see a look of anxiety on her face. I am beginning to worry. I frown up at her with fear. We sharply turn a corner and are about to race down the hallway, but we freeze in horror, staring down at a familiar-looking corpse lying in front of us.

"Oh, dear God," Miss Laura gasps before running toward the corpse. "Tsumura! No…" Her head lowers as teardrops fell. "He's gone…"

She flashes her sights toward the source of the yelling. "Those murderers—!"

"This way!"

The GUN are coming, and coming fast.

I sharply turn my head to the source of the sound. I can feel my heart racing, because of my apprehension. Then, I feel my wrist being tugged again, and Miss Laura and I are off again.

We speed down the corpse-hemmed hallways. Everywhere we turned, there were bodies. I can't help staring at the several bloodied humans that were lying there. The sight causes my stomach to churn.

"They're getting away! Get them!" a different soldier orders fiercely.

There is an elevator up ahead. Instinct tells us to run faster. But the more prolonged we flee, the more aggravated the GUN soldiers become; to the point where they start to open fire. Fortunately, a few miss us, until one shot connected.

"Agh!" I hear Miss Laura yelp. A bullet had pierced through her shoulder area. I see blood soaking into her lab coat. I'm more terrified than ever: her safety is dwindling, and I'm not protecting her! There has to be something I can do, but then…!

The elevator doors slide open. We run inside. Miss Laura presses the "Emergency Close" button, and the doors slam shut. Before the elevator begins its descent, we hear the soldiers' gunfire blaze the reinforced doors.

Miss Laura stands leaning against the wall, panting softly. I stand beside her, clasping onto her hand. She looks down and smiles at me calmly. She grips my hand tighter.

"Don't worry, Shadow," she tells me in a calm yet shaky voice. "We'll be all right…" She slowly kneels down before me and holds me close. "You're safe with me…okay?"

I don't know how to respond to that. I know she's hurt, and I know that the GUN militants are searching rampant for me. I don't even know if we will survive and escape. There's only one feeling that plagues my mind.

"I'm scared, Miss Laura."

I hide my face and my tears. I can feel her arms embracing me. That familiar warmth again… Her warmth. She caresses my head, smoothing out my quills.

"It's all right to be afraid, Shadow," she explains to me softly. "Being afraid doesn't mean you're weak. You know, I'm scared too, Shadow. But we'll just have to be brave together."

I wipe away my tears and manage to nod to her. She returns it, smiling reassuringly.

We manage to reach the lowermost floor safely. The corridor seemed to be clear of the GUN soldiers, but we didn't want to take any chances. We trot through the corridor, our alertness sparking with fear.

"There isn't…much time, Shadow," Miss Laura says to me with obvious effort. "I…need to get you out of here…as soon as possible."

"But I can't leave without you," I protest fearfully. I don't want to be alone.

Suddenly, she stops us at an intersection. Her face is away so that I can't see it. She seems to be looking out the window, staring out at Earth. She looks so sad.

"Shadow," I hear her murmur. "I know…you don't like being alone."

She turns to face me and slowly gets down on her knees. Her eyes seem ever so sincere, as well as her words. "And I don't either…but you have to be brave for me. All right?"

Just realizing that this moment is a reality causes tears to build. I feel them begin to slither down my cheek, and I impulsively lower my head. That's when I feel her warmth embracing me lovingly.

"I'm always here with you," she whispers into my ear proudly. "I love you…Shadow."

Those words seem to shoot through my mind like a pulse of lightning. I never heard those words come out of her mouth before. They shocked me; but the part that truly surprises me…is that I know. But how do I know? It really confuses me.

"How do you know when you love someone, Miss Laura?" I sort of blurt out the question.

She lets me go momentarily, smiling at my baffled blinking. Then, she hugs me again, firmer this time.

"You never want to let them go."

* * *

><p>"I wonder if they made it out," Tails wondered.<p>

"Only one way to find out," Sonic said to him.

Rouge was truly intrigued. "Hmm… Let's just see…" she murmured.

* * *

><p>Searching for an escape route is growing to be more difficult now. As we head for the Evacuation Facility, more bodies are filling the floors. Miss Laura glimpses at them and keeps running, tears falling from her eyes. All the while, she is clasping my wrist.<p>

I can sense her body weakening from all the running we are doing; concern fills my eyes and contorts my face into a grimace.

But then, we stop. I can hear Miss Laura murmur, "Allen… Irene…" sadly.

Ahead of us are, indeed, Professor Roderich and Miss Irene. Miss Irene is propped up against the wall, dead by the moderately sized bullet hole in her head. The blood on the wall is smeared as if she had slid against it. She died with half-lidded, dull, green eyes staring out miserably, with blood drooling down her face. Her eyeglasses are broken. Professor Roderich's body was crumpled on top of hers, as if he had tried to protect her. There were five bullet holes in his back. And, together, did their blood pool underneath them.

"Irene! Allen!" Miss Laura cries softly. We run up to them and get down on our knees next to them. "No… What have they done? Irene… Allen, no…"

"Miss Laura…" I speak softly. I furrow my eyebrows. "Don't cry anymore, Miss Laura. I'll make them regret what they did."

"No, Shadow," she halts me. "Nothing will be resolved with violence. I have to get you out of here…before it's too late," she adds, struggling to stand up again.

"But, Miss Laura—!"

She cries out in pain, falling back to her kneel. The gunshot wound is getting to her even more, now; she can't hold out for too much longer. I have to keep her alive and protect her at all costs!

"It's okay, Shadow…"

I look at her with undetectable panic riding over my face.

"I'm okay…"

My eyes soften. 'Miss Laura.'

Then, I feel weightlessness. Miss Laura has hoisted me up in her arms, holding me close. I hold on with my arms clasped around her neck. My head is against hers, my chin placed in the crook of her neck. Her gentle hand glides along my back. I feel tranquil and calm.

I like this feeling. I could feel this way forever, but it is soon interrupted.

"There! There's the Subject!"

The GUN soldiers had stormed the entire space colony and killed everyone in a matter of minutes. And we were the only ones left that were alive.

Just as soon as they appeared, we run.

"Damn it, they're getting away," the officer yelled.

"That's all right," said a woman's voice nonchalantly. "We'll just have to cut off their escape route."

Within the shadows came a smirk.

"Find Robotnik and kill him. Then, target the Subject…" She snickered evilly. "We don't want any survivors…including her."

* * *

><p>We continue running. Miss Laura still has me in her arms. I hold on tightly. I can hear the exhaustion in her huffs, and I can feel her heart pounding against her chest. I'm fearful for her safety. My arm breaks away from the embrace I was holding, and it falls across her wound. I can feel her blood stain my fingers. She lets out a small moan from the stinging pain; I frown slightly.<p>

We come up to an intersection and stop. We heard someone scream.

We race ahead to find the source of the shriek. Before we even reach the room up ahead, someone from the inside is being slammed against the door.

Miss Laura and I slowly approach the door. From there, we're able to hear the voice inside.

"…I'd suggest you tell me where Project: Shadow is, old man," a harsh male voice says. "Unless you want to end up like your little shield over there."

There is no response.

Footsteps are taken, soft steps, toward the door. Then, they stop.

"Robotnik…no…" Miss Laura whispers. "He's going to kill him…! He's going to kill him, no!"

Suddenly, she is pulled backward into another GUN soldier's grasp, while I am being pried out of her arms. A spray of bullets strikes the door and the person inside. The soldiers pull us away from the door; Miss Laura and I are now separated. Everyone is still, watching as blood pools from under the door.

"Private, we have the Subject in custody. Stand down."

From inside the room, we hear a bodily thud. He shoots up the doorframe and kick it in, revealing himself to be a brunet man of medium stature.

He smirks. "Roger that."

That cues a couple of squads to barricade the ends of the hallway, their weapons armed and aimed at us. The hallway is blocked off, and I hear a light gasp escape from Miss Laura.

There was no escape; we were trapped.

"Hey, now," the soldier holding Miss Laura hostage sighs suavely. "There's no need to try and fight us. You know as well as I do that there's nothing you can do."

"Release me, you murderer!" she demands vehemently as she struggled.

"Hey, hey… Settle down, little lady. No need to be forceful…" He snickers. "We have them under arrest, Madam."

"I see you do."

A woman approaches from under a flickering light in the hallway. She comes out, wearing a military uniform and the symbol of that military on her left arm. Strapped to her sides are semiautomatic pistols. Her uniform is navy-blue and black, similar to her appearance: Her eyes are blue and she was dark-skinned…just like Miss Laura.

"Why, hello there, Sister-Dear. It's been a long time since we've seen each other last," the woman explains. She stands there, arms akimbo.

Miss Laura gasps, "Lexia!"

"Yes, it's me, dear Sister. I've sided with the GUN now. Aren't you surprised?" She smirks.

Miss Laura growls, "No, I'm not."

The other woman huffs out a sigh. "Now, on to business," she began again. "My orders were to retrieve the Ultimate Life Form from the ARK, and now that we have him, we will leave quietly, and spare your life. Or will things have to get a little rowdy?"

"I won't let you murderers take him away from me!"

"Oh, is that so? Well, that's too bad for you, dear, for he is ours for the taking, quite literally. Remove him from the facility and lock him up," she orders the man holding me captive. Then, he starts to leave as commanded.

I begin to struggle in his tight grip. "No!" I cried out.

The woman snickers.

Miss Laura cries out, "Let him go! Please!"

"I'm afraid you're too late, Sister-Dear," the other woman says vehemently. "He is ours!"

I watch as Miss Laura struggles against the GUN soldier. She manages to get one of her arms out of his grasp. "You give him back to me! Release him now—!"

The soldier holding her places a gun to the back of her head, silencing her.

"No… Shadow…" Miss Laura moans woefully.

"No, you leave her alone!" The words seemed to spew forth from my mind. I don't want to be taken away from that warmth. I don't want to be taken away at all. I don't want this, any of this…!

I keep up a vain tussle, squirming and pushing. The man's hold doesn't falter in the least, however. I hear him snicker, disregarding my attempts to escape.

I frown, yelling, "Let me go!"

"Heh, you wish! Not until you're with us on our way back to Earth, anyway," he replies mockingly.

"Shadow!" Miss Laura yells to me desperately. Then, she groans in dismay. The gun must have silenced her again.

Tears of desperation fill and fall from my eyes. Anger begins to surge through my blood. I can feel a hidden power awakening.

I have to save her. And I have to do it, now!

"No! Mother!" I cry out desperately. A bright light encompasses us.

The woman called Lexia turns sharply to my direction. "What?" she gasps in disbelief.

"Chaos Burst…" Miss Laura whispers.

"Ah!" the soldier behind her yelps.

After the light dies out, I open my eyes, finding myself on the floor. I see that the guards that had captured us had been flung back. Some are unconscious, with the others moaning. The one named Lexia is near the wall moaning, rubbing her head.

This is our chance to escape, maybe even our only chance. So, I reflexively run up to grab Miss Laura's hand, and we start running.

"Hurry! Stop them!" Lexia barks harshly at the soldiers. Instantly, a pack of GUN soldiers is formed and starts to chase us.

* * *

><p>We finally arrive at the Evacuation Facility. Those titanium-core doors stand undamaged before us. Beyond them is a vast room filled with escape pods. We scale down the steps to the ground floor, amid all of the cross-workings of walkways above our heads, and across the room, heading for the reserved escape hatch room doors.<p>

"Come on, Shadow," Miss Laura speaks. "There's a reserved hatch beyond this room somewhere—!"

"There they are! Get them!"

We hear the GUN soldiers coming. Fortunately, we make it to the doors and they are far behind. Miss Laura taps in a code into a security module. It sounds, and the doors slide open. We leap inside, and Miss Laura slams the "Emergency Close" button on the inside module. I hear her panting and see her clutching her wound as the doors slide shut. I stand close to her, looking helplessly at her. That's when she fluidly hoists me up into her arms, and carries me over to the escape pod. It opens quickly and automatically, and I am gently shoved inside. Before I can escape, the glass barrier shuts, airtight.

I start to beat on the glass, crying out to Miss Laura, "Wait, what are you doing?"

The GUN soldiers begin ramming against the doors outside. I see Miss Laura racing over to a nearby console and start pecking out coordinates.

"I'm sorry, Shadow," she says to me. "But I have to send you to Earth without me. It's for your own safety."

"No!" I cry out. "Don't leave me alone—!"

Then, a booming noise fills the room, with the doors denting and falling over onto the ground. Miss Laura shields her face. When the smoke clears, the woman named Lexia enters through the blasted-in doorway with a gun in her hand.

"Oh my, Sister-Dear," she begins. "It's seems you have defied us long enough." She was taking aim. "Surrender the Subject to us or die!"

Miss Laura frowns deeply. "I'm not letting you take him away from me," she tells her.

"Ah, still defiant, are we?" The other woman smirks, flaunting her pistol around. "We can always do this the hard way, Sister."

"No! You leave her alone!" I scream furiously, pounding on the glass.

"Don't worry, little one. We'll handle you next." She snickers again. "As for you…" She smirks maniacally before firing her weapon.

Miss Laura yelps from the pain that pierces through her arm. She clutches it, trying to hold back the profuse bleeding, while I can only stand and watch. Her eyes… I see them glaring at Lexia angrily.

"Let's try this again," the gunwoman says, reloading her pistol. "Hand him over…" She takes aim again. "Or else."

"Or else what?" Miss Laura implores threateningly.

"Or else this…!"

Another gunshot, and another yelp. Miss Laura slowly lowers to the floor, clutching her stomach.

Then, another…!

And another…!

And another…!

She moans from the pain of the new bullet wounds, now in her side, her thigh, and her other arm.

I can't stand for the utterly senseless violence, so I slam my fists against the glass, which still did not crack, and scream, "Stop it! Leave her alone! You're killing her!"

But then, there is a startled gasp. Miss Laura was smacked in the face by the pistol's hilt. She is getting hurt badly, and I am helpless. I stare at her form barely making any movement; I am terrified.

"Last chance, Sister-Dear," Lexia begins once more. She aims her pistol directly at Miss Laura's head. "Give him to us now! Release him from that pod and hand him over!" After not detecting any movement from her, she orders, "Do it!" while pressing the gun's barrel closer to Miss Laura's head, which made her flinch.

"I already said no," Miss Laura remarks. "And I am not changing my mind!"

My tears spill from my eyes as I hold them shut. When I open them, through my tears I see the pistol still aimed at Miss Laura's head. 'Miss Laura…'

Lexia scoffs it off. "Hmph, I should kill right now…!"

"Shadow," I hear her moan. "I'm so sorry that this has to be your fate, but I can assure you that you'll be safe. I promise."

"No! This doesn't have to be my fate! You promised me you would always be with me. You said you would never leave me alone."

"I'm so sorry, Shadow."

My head falls as my hands slide down the glass. "I don't want to feel this way anymore. I don't like this feeling. I want it to go away. Make it go away… Please…"

Tears slither down her cheeks. "Shadow…you have to be brave for me. The truth is I won't always be there. Now, promise that you'll be strong for me, Shadow."

I look up with sadness in my eyes. "Huh?"

"Promise me that you will be strong. That you'll be good. That you will stay the way you are, Shadow…okay?"

More tears streak my face. "Yes, I promise," I whisper.

She smiles at me; that reassuring smile. She nods and says, "Okay, then…!" She moans again, feeling the gun pressing further against her scalp.

"Any last words, Sister-Dear?" Lexia taunts cruelly.

All is silent at the moment. I stare at the twin sisters horridly, the dominant one having Miss Laura at unavoidable gunpoint. But Miss Laura manages to bear the threat and the pain throughout her body to keep a calm voice.

"Shadow…I want you to remain as who you are…regardless of your fate. I wish for you not to destroy mankind…but to save it."

"What?" Lexia interrupts. "You fool!" She snatches her hair harshly, and bashes the hilt of her pistol into Miss Laura's cheek. "That is what he was created for, and now you're trying to change him yourself?" She stands over her, taking aim again at Miss Laura. "What difference does it make? Promises are meant to be broken, Sister, and destiny cannot be changed!"

"Shadow," Miss Laura continues to tell me, trying to ignore her sister. "Robotnik was truly a vengeful man…who wanted to prove that immortality was no longer just a fool's dream. That's why he created you, Shadow. I found out that he promised his deceased granddaughter a better world; to mimic our God, by wiping out all of mankind…for her, and to use you to do it, Shadow. And yet, I don't want that as your purpose to live anymore."

"What? Why, you…!" Lexia fires an enraged shot at Miss Laura's leg, the release of the bullet loud and disquieting. Miss Laura screams, but she is still, weakly, able to reach up for the nearby console as a balance.

She continues, "I want you to spare all of their lives, Shadow. I don't want to see you causing senseless and meaningless violence. Stay the way you are now, and give those people down there a chance to live. Please, Shadow…for me."

'I will,' I thought. 'I promise you.'

"You'll always be…my little angel, Shadow." She smiles at me kindly, but this time, I still feel unsafe, unsure of what my fate would end up being. I don't feel the warm, pleasant aura that I would usually feel…and that frightens me.

I press my palms against the glass. 'Mother…' I think hopelessly.

My eyes then widen with unimaginable fear.

"What?" Lexia exclaims.

I see her hand over the "Eject" key on the interface. "Mother, no!" I cry.

"Promise me that kindness will always keep your heart and let them live, Shadow. I'm sure little Maria would want the same. I'm always with you in your heart, my little angel."

"It won't be the same…! Miss Laura, no…!"

"_Aishiteru…_Shadow the Hedgehog." She gives one last smile to me before—!

"No, wait!"

The key is pressed, and I am ejected from the ARK quickly. While drifting toward Earth, Lexia appears at the windowpane with Miss Laura pinned against it. She grins impishly…and blood consequently splatters onto the window, so brightly colored that I could see it. There is just the blotch of scarlet.

And so, I scream, "Miss Laura!"

Then began my fiery descent toward the blue planet, never to see her or feel that ever-so-familiar human warmth again.

Her smile was gone. Forever.

— End of Case File —

All three of them were quiet. The entire document Sonic, Rouge, and Tails had just read silenced them with unbelievable truth.

"Oh, my goodness," Rouge broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So, that's what really happened," Sonic added.

"That must've really devastated Shadow," Tails said quietly. "For him to lose someone so close to his heart like that…"

"To basically watch his mom die," Sonic commented with Tails.

"He must feel really bad." Tails closed the file window and exited the database. "I feel bad for him, now," he added, slouching back in the chair.

Rouge murmured something to herself before racing up the stairs to the door, leaving the two boys alone. They only glanced at each other and blinked.

Rouge trotted to Shadow's door. Upon opening it, she laid a hand on the doorframe. She somberly gazed at Shadow sleeping.

"It's hard to believe…" Rouge was in awe. "He's the same one…from so long ago."

She set her elbow on the doorframe and leaned against it.

'Something makes him look…childlike almost. He looks so innocent and harmless,' Rouge thought curiously, still watching him sleep. 'Even if he is fifty years old, there's still something…cute about him.' She blushed slightly from the notion.

"Miss…Laura…" she heard Shadow groan, her ears perking.

She only smiled at him, leaning more against the doorframe. Pleasantly continuing to watch him sleep, Rouge added another thought to her previous train about him.

'Whatever it is, I want it to stay.'

"Goodnight, Shadow."

Even though he was asleep, something subconsciously told Shadow that someone had said that; he regarded it, clutching his sheets closer to his chest.

**Segment Three Completed.**


	4. Segment Four: An Unseen Truth

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Four ****–**** An Unseen Truth**

MYSTIC RUINS - TAILS'S WORKSHOP—11:31

"Hey."

Shadow heard a voice calling. It aroused his awakening, and he gradually regained consciousness. His eyelids gently opened, uncovering dazed but renewed crimson eyes. They wandered dizzily around the room, trying to restore sharpness. Shadow blinked slowly, but then, he snapped his eyes open.

"Miss Laura?" Shadow hastily sat up in bed. "But…where…?"

"Good morning," Rouge greeted him sweetly.

Bluebirds were perched on the sill of the window Rouge had just opened. Gentle breezes wisped through the overhanging wind chime clinking out a soft little tune. The morning light danced across the floor as shadows teased among them. Shadow was locked in a deep gaze at the bluebirds while they chirped and pecked at the wooden sill as Rouge took a seat next to him. She began to remove the dressings from Shadow's body, first starting with the bandages that wrapped around his head.

"So, did you sleep okay last night?" Rouge thought to ask.

"No," came the stern response.

She moved down to his chest. "Did you dream?"

"Yes."

She stopped. Suddenly, she was intrigued. "Can you tell me about your dream?"

"No."

She pouted. "Can you be more specific," Rouge asked. "Besides 'yes' and 'no'?"

Shadow was silent. He refused to answer, nonetheless talk. He continued to daydream, unaware that the bluebirds had flown away, avoiding her questions; and also to hide the bashfulness that colored his cheeks lightly.

Rouge blinked. She made another pouting face. "Why won't you talk to me? Why won't you say anything?"

Shadow refused to move or speak. His stern shyness was getting the best of him. He was actually more withdrawn when speaking to someone, a woman specifically, intellectually superior than himself, (or so it appeared), which was fairly rare. A sign that he realized it was the intense flush that had increased in his cheeks.

Rouge blinked again. Then, she shrugged and said, "Well, that's okay! You don't have to talk if you don't want to."

She gazed at him intently. He looked so tranquil. He said nothing as he sat there. He was just wordless.

Rouge gazed dreamily at him. 'Just like a little…!'

"Well, anyway," Rouge continued, throwing away the bandages. She stood from the bed and headed out of the open doorway. "Are you hungry?"

Shadow wearily turned his head to face the doorway to see Rouge wheeling in some lunch on a cart.

"I thought you might be hungry after your long nap. You'd slept since yesterday evening, and right now it's eleven thirty-five!" Rouge giggled kindheartedly.

She removed a tray from the cart, and sat it on Shadow's lap. "Sorry that you missed breakfast, but here's lunch. Hope you're okay with sandwich halves and some milk."

Shadow blinked at the unexpected meal and glanced at Rouge sitting across from him. She was having a salad for lunch. After she took her first bite, she eyed Shadow from the corner of her eye. He seemed to examining the lunch tray.

Rouge smiled lightly. "Go ahead. You can eat."

Shadow blinked, but soon crossed his arms, putting on a serious face.

Rouge sighed quietly.

"How is our patient, Rouge?" Tails peeped around the corner. He looked over to see that Shadow hadn't eaten yet. He blinked a little. "I see he's not eating. Is he all right? Is something bothering him?"

"Oh, no, he's fine. Where's Sonic?"

"Out for a run. He should be back soon. Meanwhile, I'm going back to the workshop so I can finish up the Sonic Monsoon. See you later!"

"Bye, Miles," Rouge cooed, waving and winking.

Tails's cheeks flushed, and he smiled coyly and vanished from the doorway.

Rouge giggled, and glanced at Shadow, who was glaring out the window. She took a moment to watch him. Then, she smirked and started to place everything from lunch aside, with Shadow was watching curiously from the corner of his eye.

"Today's a nice day. Would you like to go outside with me?" she asked.

Shadow stared at her for a moment before looking away again, closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>Rouge was seated along the bank of the lake behind Tails's workshop with her legs in its clearness of blue. Shadow was exploring around the meadowy area, curious about its plants and trees. A beautiful butterfly fluttered by, crossing his path. He stared and watched it fly away and soon started to follow it.<p>

Rouge looked back at Shadow tracing behind the fluttering insect that seemed to be leading him back towards her. She blinked at him, observing the look on his face. It remained stoic but calm, and his red eyes seemed to gleam in the sunlight. Shadow caught her gaze, and the butterfly flew up high and away. A breeze combed through the blades of grass and petals of flowers there in the lakeside meadow. Tree leaves crashed softly into one another, not disturbing Rouge and Shadow's beheld gazes.

Rouge was the only one to look away. "Umm…Shadow," she called. "Could you come here for a minute?"

Shadow walked over and stood next to her. He glanced down at her eyes, listening intently for what she was about to say.

"Shadow," she started. "I…I was kind of wondering about something."

Shadow blinked. "What is it?"

"It…It's about the incident fifty years ago. About what happened on the ARK."

Shadow's eyes flared open, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Rouge looked down at the pond and went on. "It's about the whole thing, really. About the accident…about the casualties that were reported. I understand that one of the scientists that was killed was Laura Harris. Did you know her, Shadow?"

Shadow's arms slowly dropped from their cross and hung there.

"I…I…" he stuttered softly. "I…"

"Shadow, are you all right?" Rouge wondered with concern. She stood from her place and cautiously reached out to touch Shadow, but he flinched to her touch. "Shadow—?"

"No," the male hedgehog muttered. "Don't make me remember it…!"

He recalled a memory of GUN soldiers firing rounds of bullets indefinitely with the falsely-accused geneticists screaming—Laura predominantly, which pierced his hearing even though it was a recollection. Laura's tears fell as she pressed the "Eject" key on the console… Shadow punched through the glass, but was already falling toward the Earth… His eyes slowly fell shut…

Shadow grabbed his head. "I don't want to remember it…!"

_More bodies fill the floors…Kept running…I…continue to stare in horror…Blood pooled…Blood smeared…We speed down the corpse-hemmed maze…Everywhere we turned…there were bodies…I couldn't help staring…at the bloodied humans that were lying there…_

_Shadow instantly remembered Tsumura, Allen, and Irene's corpses. Tsumura, lying on his stomach; Allen, fallen over on top of Irene; with Irene, propped against the wall, a bullet hole in her forehead. Her eyeglasses cracked…_

Tears began to streak Shadow's cheeks rapidly. Rouge was afraid and worried, unable to comfort him as he continued to murmur.

"Please…don't make me…!"

_'Her smile…_

"Please…!"

_'…was gone…_

"I don't want to…!"

_'Forever…' _

_'Miss Laura!'_

_The compassionate woman stood solely with a framed photograph of a little blonde girl grinning innocently, clutching a huge teddy bear in her arms._

_Flickers of memory displayed the little girl smiling, crying, and finally dying in a hospital bed, with a white sheet over her tiny body…_

_Appearing alongside the woman were her colleagues, who were also holding framed photographs of the little girl, and in the center was Gerald. His eyeglasses gleamed brightly…_

_Laura's blood splattered into Shadow's vision…_

_Yellow eyes were covered by red scarves…_

"Stop!"

Birds scattered from the treetops, cawing loudly, because of Shadow's loud scream. They frantically flew higher into the air, startled by the sudden sound and escaping from the noise.

The peace had been disrupted.

Shadow staggered into the lake's water, which, on contact, reddened. Trickles of the bloody water ascended, defying the force of gravity. His back straightened, his eyes shadowed around the edges, the irises scarlet with thin yellow rings. Scurrying tears turned blood-red once they floated out of his eyes.

Rouge stared bizarrely at the crimson lake. Then, her sights crept up to stare at Shadow, who was still holding his head tightly.

"Shadow…please, calm down," she tried to get him to hear her. She rushed over to calm him down. "You don't have to remember if you don't want to! It's all right now—!"

Then, he violently swiped a hand across Rouge's face. A yelp escaped her as she hit the water harshly. He turned to her, glaring menacingly, and began to step toward her.

Rouge propped herself onto her elbow, still shocked by the malicious blow across her face. She gazed bizarrely upward, recalling that she splashed the water, but it never came back down. Her eyes trembled and shot back to see Shadow staggering toward her. She backed away from him.

"Shadow," she begged. "It's all right now. You don't have to remember your past at all. I won't ask about it anymore. Just calm down, please…!"

Shadow did not seem to acknowledge her words, at first. But Shadow looked to be calming himself down somewhat, the color of the lake returning to normal as well as its form. The water above Rouge splashed down on her. The yellow rings in Shadow's irises were diminishing; the shadows in his eyes began to fade as well as he stopped staggering and paused. He crept back to get away from Rouge after realizing what had just happened. His eyelids slid heavily over his eyes and he collapsed.

"Shadow!" Rouge raced over to his aid. "Shadow! Shadow, are you—?" But before she got close enough, she spotted something.

'Wings?'

She froze for a moment, before kneeling down beside Shadow quietly. She lifted his upper body into her arms, his head nestled against her voluptuous chest.

'These wings…? What are they doing there, and why are they there? They're so tiny…and they appeared just now…and they look like they're…dormant, somewhat. All I want is just for Shadow to be all right.' She sighed. 'Oh, Shadow, I'm worried. I just hope this doesn't get any worse than it already is…'

Suddenly, Rouge picked up a strange sound in the distance. She sharply glanced above her.

Aircraft from the GUN, and they seemed to be scanning over the area.

"It just did," she muttered under her breath. 'Area 33 must be around here somewhere,' Rouge said in her mind as she gritted her teeth a little. Then, she remembered his scream, thinking that was what triggered their appearance. "Oh no…!"

The small battalion of aircraft soared over Mystic Ruins, and Shadow's translucent wings disappeared.

**Segment Four Completed.**


	5. Segment Five: Escapee

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Five — Escapee**

TAILS'S WORKSHOP—12:00

Tails and Sonic were outside as well, watching the foreign aircraft soaring over the Ruins. They were moving quite slowly, and it was heavily implied that they were searching for something. Sonic eyed the aircraft attentively, watching for any sudden movements.

"You don't think they're after Rouge, do you, Sonic?"

Sonic frowned softly. "I don't think it's _her _they're looking for…?"

"Tails!"

Both of the boys sharply looked back to see Rouge carrying Shadow in her arms once again. She had flown toward them and landed under the trees' shade. Sonic and Tails ran over to see if they could aid him.

"Is he all right?" Tails asked.

"He's all right. He just had a little bit of…umm…!"

They all shot their eyes up at the sound of engines closing in; the Air Force Aero-Hangars were nearing.

"We need to get him out of here," Rouge said as calmly as she could. "I know they're after Shadow, since I didn't report back to headquarters on time. Now, he's decided to send out troops to look for him."

"You mean the President?" Tails blinked.

"I knew it," Sonic muttered. Then, he got to his feet and looked up at one of the helicopters landing close by. He growled. He called back to Rouge and Tails, "Come on! We have to go!"

Rouge and Tails followed Sonic into the hangar. Once inside, Tails hopped into the front cockpit of the Sonic Monsoon, while Rouge carefully placed Shadow in one of the rear seats with herself.

Sonic hopped on the wing of the stealth fighter and held himself securely there.

Sonic cried out, "Tails!"

"Roger!"

Tails revved the engine and prepared to take off, setting up and clearing the path of the runway. Soon after did the Sonic Monsoon take to the sky at a gradually increasing speed.

Rouge looked back to see the fleet slowly halting. 'They're stopping?' she thought curiously. Then, she looked down at Shadow, who was still unconscious. She made a serious face.

"Hang on, Sonic," Tails advised. "I'm going into Stealth Mode!"

A button on the touch-screen interface was pressed, and the entire plane, including Sonic, became invisible. Tails kicked up the speed by sending the Sonic Monsoon zooming through the air out of the Ruins and above the forest.

The commander of the fleet clicked his tongue, aggravated by their miss. Now that the entire fleet lost visual of Tails's plane, there was only one thing they could do. He stepped away from his commanding post on the army plane.

"Sir, we've lost visual of the target," one soldier relayed.

Then, a thought clicked in the commander's mind. He turned around slowly and smirked a little, chuckling lowly.

"Activate our Stealth Mode as well; we'll find them via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy scan."

One plane at a time, the entire fleet became cloaked with an invisibility shield.

* * *

><p>'Shadow, I didn't mean to pressure you earlier…but so much power you possess…!'<p>

TAILS'S SENCOND WORKSHOP - EMERALD TOWN—12:44

Tails, Sonic and Rouge waited for Shadow to awaken. The three of them sat in Tails's bedroom, seated across from the bed Shadow had been placed on. Sonic and Tails looked at each other before looking back at Shadow. Rouge stood quietly next to them. Her mind wandered from thought to thought, trying to recall all of the important things that had happened within that relatively short timespan. Her brows knitted together.

Shadow was unconscious once again. His body was still and silent. But his mind was active as he entered REM sleep.

Shadow groaned.

Tails looked up and blinked. Then, Sonic and Rouge looked over at Shadow as well.

"Shadow…?" Tails whispered his name.

_Within test tubes of various sizes, bubbles rose through strange liquids…_

_The Project: Shadow insignia faded into his mind from a distant memory, and disappeared behind Lexia. Her blue eyes widened sharply, and she started to cackle maniacally…_

_Laura's smile disappeared…and her blood splattered…_

'_Miss Laura!'_

Shadow's eyes flew open. They saw three pairs of eyes staring down at him. He sat up hastily, but held his head reflexively. He growled lowly.

"Just stay reclined, Shadow," Rouge told him kindly. "It's better for you to recover that way."

"Where am I?" he asked. "What happened?"

"We're in Tails's bedroom in his second workshop in Emerald Town." Rouge looked more serious now. "You were…angered somehow." She looked away from him. "And you passed out on me."

Shadow frowned.

"Are you all right, now, Shadow?" Tails thought to ask.

Sonic crossed his arms.

Shadow paused before answering sternly, "I'm fine." He slowly got up and walked away from the three of them.

"Wait, Shadow!" Tails called, reaching out. "It's not a good idea for you to leave!"

"Yeah," Sonic attested. "The GUN are looking for you right now, so you have to stay here for now."

Shadow stopped. He heard what had just been said, and his eyes widened. He gripped his hand into a fist. His frown deepened. He slowly looked back to see the three of them.

"The…GUN?" Shadow wanted an answer.

"Yes," Rouge spoke up, stepping toward him slightly. When she stopped, she went on, saying, "The military that I work for wants you captured and imprisoned for good…but I…" Rouge's hands grappled into fists. "I don't want that."

Sonic and Tails saw her fists and became wary of her. Tails looked up at her with innocently worried eyes.

"I want you to be free, Shadow, just like everyone else. I don't want to see you asleep forever…!" Tears formed in Rouge's eyes. "That wouldn't be fair to you!"

Sonic blinked, sensing her kindling anger. He frowned lightly.

Shadow only looked away.

"Please, Shadow…let me protect you."

Shadow blinked a little, before sighing passively. "I don't need your protection," he insisted. "I can take care of them myself—!"

"No, you can't!" Rouge sounded purely worried. "If you try to destroy the military's forces, they'll come after you _and _me! I don't want you to die, Shadow!" Her tears fell.

Shadow remained quiet for a moment. His frown deepened slightly.

"It's not like I can."

Rouge gasped a little; Sonic and Tails blinked. Sonic was suddenly spooked, while Tails seemed rather fascinated.

"You can't die, Shadow?" Tails asked with a sense of awe in his tone.

Shadow looked the other way and blinked.

_Laura's smile ebbed out of his mind…_

'_I don't want to forget that smile.'_

He shut his eyes and gave an honest, "No."

EMERALD TOWN TRANSIT STATION—14:09

Sonic, Tails, Rouge, and Shadow were waiting for the next train to arrive. It was a better idea to keep as low a profile as possible, in avoidance of the GUN search party. They were still searching for Shadow and Rouge, after all; so Sonic and Tails decided to accompany them to the train station. The train they were waiting for would take them straight to Central City, where Rouge lived.

When the train finally arrived, Rouge and Shadow went ahead and got on.

"See you, guys," Sonic bid his farewell, coolly giving them a thumbs up.

"Be safe!" Tails waved both his arms as the train took off from the station platform.

TRAIN 12 - EMERALD TOWN TO CENTRAL CITY—17:03

Shadow sat in front of the overhead view window on the left side of the train. He stared out over his shoulder at the magnificent view. The continuous forest below was scarcely dotted with blue ponds. Even though the landscape was indeed serene, he still wore that ever-familiar grimace, with his arms and legs crossed. He looked up through the window that stretched to the top of the cabin and saw the GUN's aerial craft still slowly scouring the sky. He grimaced heavier.

Rouge, on the other hand, was seated directly across from where he was sitting. Twiddling her thumbs and her ears still folded, she paid him no mind—or, at least, tried to. She couldn't help feeling guilty about what had happened. She didn't mean to anger him; she was just trying to get some answers.

Rouge took a glimpse at Shadow still staring out the window. She was now more concerned than guilty.

"Shadow?" Rouge called softly.

He didn't respond. He was still watching the GUN aircraft flying by.

But Rouge blinked, curiously as to what it was he was staring at. So, she stood and walked over to Shadow's side. She sat, minding to stay a certain distance away from the Ultimate Life Form. She glanced at him, but he gave no signal of attention. He just continued to stare out the window.

She sighed, looking away. Her eyes veered back over, only to see his bicep. Shadow only had a remarkably slight lean build, but he still looked quite powerful. She suddenly spotted it tense up. She lightly flushed rosy-pink and sharply lifted her sights up to Shadow.

"I know you're staring," he said deeply and threateningly, but he did not bother to look at her.

Rouge was startled and looked away. After another pass of a moment, she half-smiled.

'He'll be all right,' she thought, laying a gentle hand on Shadow's arm. He felt it and reflexively snatched his arm away. Yet, Rouge smiled.'He can't stay like this forever.'

**Segment Five Completed.**


	6. Segment Six: The Assignment

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Six — The Assignment**

CENTRAL CITY - GRAND CENTRAL TRANSIT STATION—18:53

"Well, here we are: Central City."

The metropolitan labyrinth was spread wide along both sides of a river with towering skyscrapers. The twilight sky hovered above the city, lit as if it were still day. The bustling city had a serene feel to it: plant life was abundant with trees and decorative flowers around to enliven things. People passed by without giving a thought about Rouge, and they were oblivious of Shadow. Apparently, the government never allowed the events involving Project: Shadow to leak out into the public, and if they had it was several years ago, and it would have died down quickly; enough for not many people to have remembered it.

Shadow surveyed the surrounding area. "You live here?"

"Of course, I do," Rouge remarked. "I'm more of a city girl, anyway. I adore the night life! Don't you?"

Shadow blinked, then crossed his arms; Rouge saw this and looked back up at the train station behind her. She smiled at its ancient arabesque architecture and its invigorating incorporation within the futuristic setting.

"Well," Rouge remarked after a moment of silence. "Maybe you don't know yet. But I know the absolutely perfect place for you to find out. Come on!"

She tugged on Shadow's arm and led him out of the city.

NIGHT BABYLON - 19:00

"Much better. We're home, now. This is Night Babylon!"

Neon signboards of many attractions lit up the inner city. Bars, theaters, and hotels were put helter-skelter around the area. Cars seldom passed by on the streets, but Night Babylon was truly a paradise for night owls and insomniacs. Way up ahead was a building with a huge neon sign that read, "CLUB ROUGE."

"Well, here it is. Club Rouge." Rouge said, approaching the building. She stood, arms akimbo. She looked over at Shadow. "This is where I live, you know, and where you're going to stay for the time being." She winked.

But Shadow didn't see it; he only held his arms in a cross, his eyes snapped shut.

"You don't mind, do you?"

Shadow glanced at her. He snarled a little at her, "It's not like I have a choice."

Rouge blinked a little, and sighed, smiling a little to herself. Her aquamarine eyes sparkled a little. "C'mon, let's go inside."

Within the club—which actually doubled as a casino—there was dancing, and, right adjacent to it, gambles was taking place in all sorts of styles. It was quite a full house, and Rouge was glad of that. 'It's _extra _income, after all,' Rouge thought slyly.

"Come on, Shadow. I'll take you upstairs."

Upstairs was where Rouge actually lived. A couple of floors above the casino was an executive suite similar to a hotel room, only larger. It was beautiful and lightly ornate, with shiny things and sparkly trinkets placed meticulously around.

"Sorry, I don't have a spare bedroom for you, Shadow," Rouge said. Then, she smiled slyly. "But you're always welcome to sleep in my bed…with me." She winked.

Shadow just glared at her.

"Oh, come on, Shadow. Lighten up! It's okay to smile—!"

"Not really," Shadow remarked, turning away from her. "What's the purpose of smiling if there's no reason to do it?" He sounded quite stern.

Rouge stood there quietly for a moment. "The reason…is to feel happy."

Shadow snapped his eyes back at her and frowned heavily.

"I just want you to feel better, Shadow…" Her eyes slowly became glassy as she turned her back on him. "Even a little smirk would make my day."

Shadow blinked widely, but he instantly dismissed the thought he had. Only for it to be replaced with another:

'Stay the way you are now, and be good…Shadow.'

'It's okay to smile…' he heard Rouge's voice echo throughout his mind.

'Please, Shadow…for me.'

Shadow tightened his fist. He snarled quietly.

'I'm always with you in your heart, my little angel…'

Rouge looked over her shoulder and saw Shadow's fist. She gasped.

"Shadow," Rouge asked for him. "Are you mad at me?"

Shadow sharply opened his eyes and relaxed his tight fist. He sighed in aggravation, and shot his glare back at Rouge.

"No," he muttered. "At least, not at you."

Rouge blinked and watched Shadow unknowingly heading toward her bedroom. She was suddenly nervous, and went to chase after him.

"I wouldn't go in there yet, if I were you!"

CLUB ROUGE (UPSTAIRS)—20:17

'I'm realizing now that Shadow isn't what the government proclaims him to be. They're wrong…! Shadow can't be the same from fifty years ago, can he?'

Rouge settled into a relaxing bubble bath. A lot had happened in that day alone, and she was tired. She felt drowsy after the first few minutes and decided to wash up and leave. She then dried off and put on a terrycloth towel.

Leaving the bathroom as quietly as possible, she walked up the hallway, heading for her room. She thought back to the incident back in Mystic Ruins: that afternoon, when Shadow was reliving his past. Rouge felt scared when she witnessed his power awakening. She couldn't console him. She'd tried, but she was harshly slapped aside. The chill of that blood-red water on her made her shiver.

'I know he didn't mean to,' she thought. 'But still…' She made a sad face. He had been so violent and angry, and then he collapsed, out cold. The threat that the GUN had tried to stop so long ago wasn't him; it was something else.

She opened her bedroom door quietly and peeked inside: everything remained untouched, as Shadow sat there on her bed silently. She moved inside quietly; as her door softly shut, she lifted her eyes to see him once more. There was a heavily pensive grimace on his face.

'It was…his power.'

She walked over to the other side of the bed, slowly loosening her towel. She stepped over to her vanity drawer and pulled out some underwear.

Shadow heard the drawer open and close, and looked back to see Rouge removing the towel from around herself. He blankly watched her as she covered herself with the matching brassiere and underwear and pulled on a soft, silky nightgown. Shadow blinked and turned his head back around. Unbeknownst to Rouge, Shadow passively dismissed the fact that he had seen her naked.

His glower softened slightly.

Rouge then sat down on her bed, across from Shadow. She sighed a little, wanting to talk more to Shadow, but could obviously see that he wasn't in a talking mood. She did glance at him from the side, though. She saw him get up from the bed and stand in front of the window. She took a moment to observe him: his body was finely proportioned and his physique seemed to resemble that of a fifteen-year-old; a pretty strong one, at that. Appropriately enough, Rouge saw small details that she didn't take the time to notice before, like the red upper corners of his slanted eyes, and the tuft of white fur on his strong-looking chest.

She didn't mean to stare, but Shadow caught her doing so. He grimaced, saying, "I see you staring."

Rouge blinked finally, and sharply forced her head back around. She shut her eyes tightly. Then, she stood from her bed and spoke.

"Shadow…I know you feel like you're at a loss because of Laura's death."

Shadow snapped his head up and gave her a questioning and suddenly aggravated glare.

"But I don't want you to suffer or be sad because of it." She cautiously made her way toward him. "I care about you, Shadow, but if you keep shunning me like this, you won't be able to get any help from me."

She was finally standing in front of him, without any discrepancies—as of yet.

"Shadow, please, let me help you. All I want for you is to be safe and happy."

Shadow stared down at her, his glare not letting up. He blinked slowly, though.

"I just don't want you being locked away for something that wasn't even your fault! The GUN wants you to sleep and remain imprisoned forever, but I don't! Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you…just like Laura did?"

Shadow's eyes flared as he remembered her sleeping face. He recalled being held in her arms, against her motherly human warmth, something he would never feel again. He flashed a terrifying fang.

"You shouldn't even know about that!"

Rouge flinched away from his comment.

"She died protecting me! You don't know the pain I'm feeling right now, and you never will! You shouldn't know about that; you were never supposed to know!"

She couldn't help feeling nervous at the loudness of his voice, but she managed to stand her ground and go on.

"But I do know about that, Shadow…because I'm a government agent, and I read the file about you and how she was involved with your creation. She did die protecting you because she was your mother, Shadow, and you don't want to forget her, do you?"

Shadow stared at her, at a sudden loss for words. What he heard and what he thought were one and the same, but he didn't want to admit it. He growled under his breath. But he stopped, once Rouge placed a kind hand on his cheek.

Rouge's eyes became a little glassy. "I may not completely understand what it's like to lose someone close to my heart, but I don't want to lose you…and that's all I know."

Shadow's frown lessened, now looking confused.

"Please, Shadow, let me help you. Let me help…"

Rouge placed another gentle hand on Shadow's face and smiled a little. Shadow only looked down at her and blinked. He began to stare deeply into Rouge's eyes, seeing Laura in them somehow. He became mesmerized by the aquamarine color, and didn't realize how close Rouge was to his face.

Then, they heard something ringing—a humming sound, but their acute hearing could pick it up just fine. The sound was familiar to Rouge: she would often respond to it after espionage missions issued by her boss.

Rouge was a spy working for the GUN Federal Forces of the government, which rivaled that of the GUN Rebellion. The GUN was originally a unified government, but presently the GUNR was now a rebellious government rapidly growing to overthrow the Federal Forces and the President. Something Rouge felt conflicted over.

Rouge hesitantly stepped away and went over to open the side table drawer, bothering to take a glance at the alarm clock: 20:43.

"Excuse me, Shadow," Rouge apologized. Then, she gritted her teeth. "Why would he call me at this time of night?" she grumbled. "This had better be worth it." She picked up her communicator and placed it next to her ear. "Talk to me."

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Rouge—!" the President began.

"No, no, no, it's all right, but you caught me having a moment…" she growled. "You couldn't have picked a better time, could you?"

"This is too urgent to lay off until morning, Ninety-One," the President stated. "I've been told that you've found the Subject. Is he with you, now?"

"Umm…? Oh, you mean Shadow? Oh yeah, he's with me. Why?"

Shadow furrowed his brows a little.

"And you couldn't have picked a better time to _tell_ me, could you?" the President asked mockingly.

"Let's just say I was caught up with other things." She winked back at Shadow; he ignored it. She giggled playfully.

On the other end of the line, the President made a blank face. "Uh huh… Fascinating. Anyway, I have just received word from Area 77 Oceanic Command that Dr. Eggman has been discovered."

"What?" Rouge exclaimed softly.

"But now, Eggman has amalgamated with the GUNR in taking over the world, and my covert intelligence agents say that they're planning to use Shadow in order to do it! We must send Shadow to Area 22 Antarctic Command in order to maintain stability."

"For what? Can't you just get Federal Ops to find Eggman?"

"We're working on that as we speak, but in order to sustain global safety, Shadow must be incarcerated by the Federal Forces and cryogenically preserved, where no one is to release him."

"But Shadow can help us—!"

"But he is also a dangerous weapon that I'd advise _not _to be introduced to the public. I'm sorry, Rouge, but he has to be locked away."

Rouge froze. She was losing her grip on the communicator.

Shadow blinked at her unusual stillness.

Tears crept into her eyes. She regained composure after a few moments. She gripped a tight fist. "No…you're wrong…! He's _not _a weapon! Not anymore! He's—!" Her throat caught. She slowly looked back at Shadow, who wore a confused glare. He blinked a little slowly.

"My…" Her tears fell.

"I'm terribly sorry, Rouge, but this has to be done. The fate of the world depends on your success."

Rouge's fist tightened. Her frustration and fear were rising, but she kept silent for that while.

"Rouge…Rouge, are you still there? Rouge—!"

"No, you're wrong…! I'm not letting you or anyone else take him away! Just leave him _alone!"_

She forcefully disconnected herself from the conversation.

ELSEWHERE - THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

"Rouge! Rouge!" the President yelled into his communication link. "Damn it, she's offline!" he remarked, removing the link from his ear. He slammed his fist against his desk. "My best spy turned me down." He growled lowly. "Hmm…let me set her aside for now. Right now, I want that destructive hedgehog found and locked away—permanently, regardless of having her help or not. Find him!" he ordered. The soldiers lined up before him saluted. "By any means necessary, but do bring Shadow back _alive."_

"Sir." One man in elaborate military attire stepped forward. "Permission to incapacitate the Subject if proven to be unstable."

"Permission granted, Commander Roderich, but…" The President gave him an intense glower. "If he is beyond normal standards of restraint…kill him."

The Commander paused; then he saluted and replied, "Understood."

With that, the squad of military leaders stepped formally out of his office.

The President laced his fingers. "I'll make sure that this 'Ultimate Life Form' will be caught and imprisoned…forever. Or if necessary, put out of his misery."

He sighed hopelessly. 'I know Rouge is going to hate me for this…'

BACK AT CLUB ROUGE (UPSTAIRS)…

Rouge sat in a fetal position on her bed, clutching onto her pillow. She didn't want the President to take Shadow away. He meant so much to her, even though it had been almost two days.

Rouge's frustration was about to set her off. But she couldn't lose her cool in front of Shadow. She tried to calm herself, only for it to be a vain attempt at silence.

But Rouge didn't want to lose her job either. She liked being a spy. She got to prowl around and steal treasures, and was repaid with gratitude instead of punishment. Not to mention, her income _was _gemstones! She'd already earned her reputation as the "world's greatest jewel thief." Was she actually willing to give all of that up for Shadow?

She set her communication link on the side table, sighing. After she paused, she glanced back at Shadow. He had sat back down on her bed and was staring off into space, subconsciously feeling her eyes on him. He frowned.

"Shadow?"

He didn't answer her at all; he kept his eyes away from her for the time being.

Rouge blinked and looked down shamefully. Because of his avoidance of her, she lost her thought and replaced it with a new one.

"Umm…goodnight."

He still didn't answer. He was keeping his thoughts to himself, with his silent-type mannerisms and nonchalance. His eyes glared at nothing in particular.

Rouge reclined though, glancing through her skylight up at the moon. Its luminescent light seemed to calm her. She took up her sheets and pulled them over her shoulders, curling up under them. She let out an unsteady sigh, feeling herself about to cry, but she finally closed her eyes. Teardrops strode across her face.

Shadow remained awake throughout the night, totally unaware of Rouge's fallen tears.

'Shadow will be safe…as long as he's with me,' was Rouge's last thought before she went to sleep.

**Segment Six Completed.**


	7. Segment Seven: The Operation

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Seven — The Operation**

"It's great that you finally understand where we're coming from with this, Doctor Eggman," said a female voice.

EGGMAN'S BASE: FINAL FORTRESS—21:46

"It'll be a pleasure working with you."

The woman smirked and shook hands with Eggman. She was only five feet seven inches compared to Eggman's six feet two inches. She had a lithe build underneath her GUN Rebellion uniform of a burgundy and black military jacket, the red GUNR insignia banded around her right arm, with badges and laces pinned to her chest. Black Jodhpur boots made her pants bag just below the knees. She wore black gloves, and had twin semiautomatic pistols strapped to her hips. The woman had brown skin, cerulean eyes peering through eyeglasses, and ebony hair lightly curving outward about the neck.

"Ah, the pleasure is all mine, my dear," said Eggman courteously. "It's a good thing we found each other. Now that we're on the same page, let us prepare…for the Operation." Eggman wrung his hands with heinous intent.

The female GUNR general placed her hands upon her hips. She snickered. "Indeed."

* * *

><p>An enormous army of replicated E-102 Gammas and the Eclipse Cannon were formed from the ruins of the previously existing Prison Island. The collaboration of the GUN Rebellion and Eggman led to its destruction, which was a direct offense to the GUN Federal Forces. Metalwork supplied the remodeling of the prison into Eggman's new base, the Final Fortress. The architectural planning was dramatically changed, and the prison cells were expanded into laboratories and military facilities.<p>

The armada of E-102 Gammas for the Operation was complete. Eggman and the GUN Rebellion's fleets would storm over the GUNFF and swarm the entire southwest of the nation, and then the world.

From above, Eggman stood proudly over the Gamma army. His lips curved deviously upward, snickering, as his dark glasses gleamed.

"Perfect," he murmured in gratitude. "Just perfect. Soon, my army will be awakened and shall overthrow every authority that stands in my way, and the world will be mine to rule! Bah ha ha!"

"Don't you mean 'ours,' Doctor?" the woman from before said behind him. She stepped forth from the shadows. "I only agreed to this coalition to receive my fair share of the world…and revenge for what those bastards did to my grandmother…" Her arms crossed.

"Ah, yes! Of course, Madam General! I meant 'ours,' of course!" Eggman apologized, wringing his hands.

She only stared at him. "Let us check on our…star."

* * *

><p>Eggman and the Madam General made their way down to the main level of the Fortress and walked up to a huge, menacing cannon. Its sheer size took up a portion of the main level, but its usefulness is all that the Madam General saw.<p>

She smirked, and asked, "So, this is the Eclipse Cannon?"

"Yes, ma'am, the _Egg_clipse Cannon," Eggman corrected her. "This will be the instrument used to certify our power and our reign over the world!"

'If only you knew…you fool,' General Harris thought to herself, as Eggman laughed maniacally.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Sonic! I'm so glad you came!"<p>

TWILIGHT BABYLON - Apt. No. 316: AMY'S PLACE—9:30

"Ah, Amy!" Amy's signature "death squeeze" was getting the best of Sonic. "Gah—! Amy, let me go!"

"Good morning," Amy greeted him cheerily, releasing Sonic at last. She pirouetted merrily and grinned.

Sonic fell flat on the floor, gasping for air. He heaved and heaved in oxygen while Amy stood over him. He reached up for something to balance against, but Amy rambled on about something to do with joyfulness, dancing, and perhaps taking her out to dinner. Sonic sighed hopelessly, keeping himself up by leaning on a lamp stand.

"You promised you'd go to the mall with me! Now, let's go!" she said, wagging her finger. She grabbed her purse from off the coffee table. She continued on to say, "There's supposed to be a clearance sale on the entire second floor. I want to catch it before tomorrow comes; today's the last day! So, let's hurry!"

"Hey, wait," Sonic intervened. "Where're Cream and Cheese?"

Amy blinked. "Oh, yeah! Tails came by earlier, wondering if I could help him with something, but I told him we were going to the mall, so Cream decided to go with him instead." She grinned.

Sonic blinked a little, and immediately slumped hopelessly. 'Oh no. Oh no…!'

"Well, come on, you adorable thing, you! Let's go!" Amy cried, hastily clinging to his arm and yanking him toward the door.

"Now, Amy, hold on!" Sonic urged her to stop. He managed to get himself out of the little pink hedgehog's grip because she had frozen, having dropped her purse. "Can't we talk this over a little—?" Sonic looked up at what she was staring at. "What the…?"

A squad of the GUN Mecha were clustered in front of Amy's condo. Their weapons were aimed at them, prepared to open fire.

"Halt," one of the pilots commanded. "You are under the GUN Rebellion scrutiny ordered by the Madame General. If you comply, we will release you swiftly, but if you belligerently decline us, we will be forced to kill you."

Amy hid behind Sonic. "Sonic…!"

Sonic growled. "We're screwed."

**Segment Seven Completed.**


	8. Segment Eight: On the Offensive

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Eight — On The Offensive**

AMY'S CONDOMENIUM—9:34

Sonic and Amy were cornered by the GUN Rebellion Assault Mecha. They all looked determined to rush their targets. But Sonic stood his ground and held a protective arm around Amy. He scowled lightly at them.

"What do you want from us?" Sonic forced the question out.

"Information," a different pilot answered. "Information on the location of the Project: Shadow Subject."

Amy shivered. "Sonic, what are they talking about?" She sounded fearful. "What 'Subject'?"

Sonic growled. "They must be talking about Shadow, the guy Rouge found…and apparently, their target."

Amy blinked, confused. "What?"

"So, you know about Project: Shadow as well? We were briefed on it before setting out to find you, and since you know who we're talking about…" The pilot aimed his weapon away from Sonic and Amy; the two of them blinked a little. "We're just going to have to interrogate the info out of you."

The mecha cockpits steamed out and opened up, revealing the three pilots. They were triplets: All of them had light-red hair and hazel eyes and they all wore their GUN Rebellion uniforms with their Assault Unit badges stitched into the red bands on the upper part of their sleeves. They all smirked and hopped out of their cockpits after setting their mecha down into a kneel.

Sonic kept Amy behind him as the three of them approached them. Amy stayed behind, while Sonic did the talking. Then, the triplets surrounded the two hedgehogs, meaning to slightly intimidate them. Sonic wasn't very fazed, but Amy shivered again.

"Now, then, Sonic the Hedgehog," one of the triplets called him out. "You know about Shadow the Hedgehog, am I right?"

Sonic looked around him cautiously. "Yeah. Why?"

"We're looking for him," the second triplet answered, the one with the longest hair. "General's orders." He smirked. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"No, I don't," Sonic replied honestly, but the three officers seemed to have taken his honesty as a sort of mockery.

The first officer scowled, the one with spiky hair.

"Maybe the little miss might want to tell us?" the third triplet asked; his hair was in a ponytail. He smirked slyly.

Amy's fists trembled and Sonic saw this, lifting an eyebrow.

"If you think you're going to come in front of _my _house, ruin _my _day, and mess with _my _Sonic…" Flames of fury flared in Amy's eyes. "You're getting your asses _kicked!"_ Amy pulled out her trusty Piko-Piko Hammer. She snickered.

Sonic blinked. "Amy, what the heck do you think you're doing?"

Amy dashed toward the massive mecha and gave a mighty swing of her hammer. The protective glass covering the cockpit was smashed. But she wasn't done: she went ahead and practically destroyed one of the GUN Assault Mecha with only a few blows. She then leapt down from the pile and anchored her Piko-Piko Hammer onto her shoulder.

"You creeps keep away from my Sonic!" she yelled.

"Little brat…!" the first pilot yelled, quickly arming himself with his pistol.

"Amy, look out!" Sonic zoomed past and saved Amy before the pilot's shot hit. He clutched Amy closer to him and smirked.

'Oh, Sonic…' Amy thought dreamily.

"Why you…!" the other two cursed, getting their pistols out as well.

"What do we do now, Sonic?" Amy sounded a bit frightened.

"Well, what I _should _say is to go get reinforcements…" Sonic began to say. Then, he saw the triplets taking aim at them. "But what I was _going _to say—and I strongly suggest this—is…_bail!"_

And, as the soldiers fired their weapons, Sonic dashed away, avoiding the bullets' paths, notoriously at the speed of sound.

"Damn, they got away!" one of the triplets cried.

"Our assignment isn't over, however," the first triplet said. "We will find the Subject…" He snarled. "At any and _all _costs."

EMERALD TOWN—A FEW MINUTES LATER…

Sonic had sped so far away so fast that he was already within Emerald Town's city limits. So, he and Amy decided to take a rest. They sat on the sidewalk in front of a store. Sonic was trying to catch his breath before huffing, "Man, I never want to go back there again. Not if those guys are going to be there."

"I'll say," Amy agreed. "I'll bet everything that they're going to be stalking us from now on." She was still huffing and puffing as well.

"Hey, I'm going to check on Tails and Cream to see if they're okay." Sonic then stood up, stretched, and started down the sidewalk.

"Um, hello! You're forgetting something—some_one." _Amy pouted, tapping her foot on the sidewalk.

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Sonic scratched the back of his head. "Hey, why don't you, uh, head up to Holy Summit to check on Knuckles, while I go see Tails and Cream. You okay with that? Cool! See you!" Sonic sped off again across the intersection and down the street.

Amy stood there, tensing up. "Ooh… _Sonic the Hedgehog!" _Amy exploded, stomping her foot.

* * *

><p>Tails's second workshop was a few blocks away from the shoreline. Sonic was already there at the front of the lab, waiting for Tails to answer. He pecked a finger against his hip. He was trying to be patient, but his concern was starting to cloud over it.<p>

"Tails?" he thought aloud. "Are you there?"

He glanced at a console that was next to him. There was an "Emergency Entry" key on it. Sonic's brow arched mischievously, and it was pressed. The door quickly swished open. The laboratory was dark and empty, and something didn't feel right to Sonic.

"Tails? Cream?" he called out. "Are you guys here?"

Something definitely didn't feel right: normally, either Tails or Cream would have greeted him by now, but the lab was empty and desolate. Sonic was trying to find a light switch when the sound of a roaring engine flooded into his ears. Sonic was startled and dashed back outside, only to find the Sonic Monsoon soaring through the air, not too far from the ground.

Sonic shielded his face from the gusts that followed in the plane's wake.

"Tails!" Sonic cried out.

Tails was banking when he noticed Sonic waving his arms. He grimaced a little and attempted to land there on the street in front of his lab. Carefully, the Sonic Monsoon flew in toward Sonic. As Tails's cockpit dome opened, Sonic blinked.

"Mister Sonic!" Cream cried out over the wind. "Chao-chao!" Cheese was holding onto Cream's sleeve, trying not to fly away.

"What's going on?" Sonic had to ask.

"No time," Tails insisted. "Just get on!"

Sonic obeyed, hopping onto the wing of the plane, and the Sonic Monsoon swiftly took off into the sky.

HOLY SUMMIT—10:05

Amy made her way up to Holy Summit to see Knuckles. The feisty red echidna wasn't too much of a city guy. He was more attuned to his natural surroundings, so he could maintain a hawk's eye on the Master Emerald. Being its guardian was a serious but simple job. It was much like a family heirloom, and he had to do all he could to protect it.

Not too far away, Amy to tell that something was wrong. She heard crashing sounds; a battle going on, and Knuckles was in trouble.

"Ah! Knuckles!" Amy cried, clambering up the hill. In the distance, she could see Chao Ruins. And she could see that Knuckles was fighting off a triplicate of Assaults Units, like the ones that had attacked her and Sonic—by himself at that. She raced over, pulling out her Piko-Piko Hammer, ready for combat.

Amy gave her hammer a good swing, trying to topple her target over, and managed to knock it off balance.

Knuckles glanced up and saw Amy landing next to him.

"Hiya! Need some help?" Amy asked politely, despite the situation. She winked at him, sticking her tongue out.

Knuckles smirked. "Hmph, that'd be nice," was his just-as-polite response. He fell into a combat stance.

"Well, well," the pilot in the Unit Amy attacked said slyly, having found his balance.

Both Knuckles and Amy glared at the metal suit.

"Looks like somebody else wants to rumble…!"

"What do you want from us?" Amy implored. "You've attacked me and Sonic already! What more do you want?"

"Attacked you? We didn't attack you," one of the pilots corrected her.

"Yes, you did! Sonic and I were minding our own business when you and your robot suits tried to kill us! We know it was you!"

The pilots in the cockpits looked at each other questioningly. The supposed leader of the team seemed to be checking something.

"Our transmission logs haven't recorded any other signs of confrontation as of yet." He looked over to his comrades. "She must be referring to the Rebellion forces…? They're on the hunt, too?"

"Hey!" Knuckles intervened. "What are you mumbling about? Are you going to let us go or what?"

"We need to know where the Subject is," the other pilot snapped at him. "Whether you tell us or not is up to you. But if you defy our orders…" The three pilots aimed their guns at them. "Then, in the name of the GUN Federal Forces, you will be placed under arrest for insubordination and being accomplices of a conspiracy."

"Accomplices?" Amy cried, thoroughly shocked. 'The GUNFF think that we're…_helping _with something? But what?'

"What conspiracy?" Knuckles demanded to know.

"Project: Shadow. It was an experimental research project developed and conducted by the late Professor Gerald Robotnik and his posse of geneticists. He was creating the ultimate living weapon, and we believe that _you _know something about it."

"We have no idea of what you're talking about," Knuckles shouted back at them. "So just leave us alone!"

The pilots within the mecha looked to one another and growled.

"We suspect that you're lying," the first pilot spoke. "But we'll spare you…for now, mind you. We _will _find that hedgehog, and we _will _put an end to all of this!"

Then, with a sudden ignition of their engines, the Assault Mecha took off into the sky and headed down. Back to Mystic Ruins.

Amy and Knuckles watched the three of them go. Amy held her hands in a prayerful clasp, while Knuckles snarled quietly.

'What just happened?' the question entered his thoughts. 'They let us go scot-free and took off.' His brows furrowed a little deeper. 'They're after a hedgehog… Could it be Sonic?'

CENTRAL CITY - NEAR HARBOR—10:35

"Yes, you've reached the Chaotix Detective Agency! How can I help you?"

A green crocodile sat balanced in a tilted chair, listening to his caller. He was giving his hearing a break from his headphones. He rested his crossed feet on top of his desk. He blinked ginger-orange eyes.

"Package? What package—?"

"It's _here! _It's _here!" _

A small bee child flew in excitedly, with a brown package in his hands. The green crocodile lost his balance in his seat and fell over with a crash.

He growled. "Charmy, don't do that!" he exclaimed. "Jeez…! Knock before you enter!"

"Sorry, okay," the one named Charmy apologized. "But, Vector, the present's here! See?" He was about to set it on the desk when a sudden voice called out.

"Wait!" it cried.

A shiny object glinted within the shadows. It soared through the air as a flash of steel. Before Vector or Charmy realized it, their package was hanging against the wall by its string with a _kunai _stuck there. They searched the shadows and saw a purple chameleon stepping out of them.

"You never know if 'presents' like that could be holding bombs," he heeded them with a stern voice.

"Ah, Espio, quit being so paranoid," Vector nagged. "It's from our client. Sheesh…!" He walked over to fetch the package.

Espio grimaced.

Vector snatched the package from the wall; its cord snapped. He continued on opening it, with Charmy looking over his shoulder. Inside, there was a pair of radio transmitters. Vector and Espio blinked a little—!

"Ooh! Walkie-talkies!" Charmy cried happily, throwing his arms into the air. "Let me see! Let me see!"

Charmy was flailing his arms, trying to reach the pair of radios—!

"Come on, come on! Can't I see just one of them? Please?" he drawled.

"Bah! No, Charmy! Back off! Since _I'm_ the leader, _I'm_ going to hold onto them." Vector held the walkie-talkies away from the boy and snarled. "And quit interrupting the narrator, will you?"

"Oopsies… Sorry," Charmy apologized.

"Where precisely did this package come from, Vector?" Espio asked, suspicious as always. He seated himself upon a crate next to a doorway.

"Don't know. But it was addressed to us, though." Vector rubbed the back of his neck. He raised an eyebrow. "Come to think of it, they didn't even tell me who they were over the phone. Hmm, our client…? I'm getting pretty suspicious myself there, Espio."

Espio glanced over to Vector keenly and smirked.

"Heck, as long as they pay up, though, I really don't give a damn!" Vector winked, shrugging. He threw his pointing finger at Charmy. "Charmy!"

"You've got it, Boss!" Charmy saluted.

Charmy pressed a button on a nearby stereo and rhythmic techno-pop music started playing, and Charmy started dancing to its catchy rhythm.

Vector looked at Espio, who was speechless and slightly annoyed. Vector grinned.

Charmy dancing…again.

Vector had a double-take between Charmy's dancing and Espio getting more annoyed.

Charmy dancing…some more.

Espio had a vein pulsating at his temple, darkly grimacing at Vector with a spasmodic eye. Vector once again lifted his brow and smirked mischievously.

Vector joined in on Charmy's dance session. They stepped in a silly rhythm simultaneously, having fun. Even though Espio just sat, dumbfounded and annoyed to the peak. His temple vein still pulsated, as his arched brow twitched. He smacked his forehead and moaned, clearly embarrassed and vexed.

CLUB ROUGE (UPSTAIRS)—23:52

It had gotten late into the night since both the GUN Federal Forces and GUN Rebellion had confronted Sonic and the others. Meanwhile, Rouge was completely unaware of the situation at hand.

She lightly touched the Chaos Emerald she'd found just mere days before. She was sitting in the living room on the sofa. She sighed. She recalled the day she found Shadow. She was remembering him being burned and bruised, unconscious and alone, as well as his perfectly tan face. It made her blush intensely. But then, she looked gloomily down at the Chaos Emerald.

"It's only been a few days, and now all of this comes up out of the blue," Rouge complained. She held her knees close to her voluptuous chest, curling up on the sofa. She burrowed her face into her knees. Her large ears folded flat against her head. "What am I going to do?"

A familiar, muffled rumbling drummed into one ear. Her ear instantly perked, and Rouge lifted her head up, furrowing her eyebrows as she glanced over to her side table. "Maybe I shouldn't even bother," she thought to herself. But something told her to answer the incoming call, so she got up off the sofa and stepped in front of the side table, saying, "I wish he would just leave us alone." She opened the drawer. Inside was the small communication link earpiece, its vibrations more audible and blue light blinking brightly on the side. She lifted it from the drawer and placed it next to her ear.

"Speak now. You have thirty seconds," she warned.

"Allow me to be direct, then, Agent Rouge the Bat."

Rouge gasped. It was the Madam General's voice.

"Have you yet apprehended that weapon _he _ordered you to capture?"

"Wait," Rouge hesitated. "How did you—?"

"You may not have realized this, but several of my operatives are out on the prowl about the city…armed. They're in seclusion, but they are on the lookout. You know, once they find him, he will be seized and brought to me. But, in case he tries to resist, I have instructed my men to do whatever is in their power to get him calm—even more so, to get him still. Only if he is to further persist, he _will_ be executed."

Rouge gave no response right then, but she began to mentally quake. "No…you can't…!"

"You've been given a deadline: only six hours to find and bring him to me, starting at twenty-four hundred hours. Unless you want him killed…?"

"No!"

She snickered. "Then capture him and turn him in to my authorities, _alive, _cuffed and, if necessary, chained. I'll be expecting you, Ninety-One," she teased. "If you fail, you will be hunted down, too." She snickered before she disconnected the call.

Rouge was frozen, as if at a loss. She felt her heart sinking into an abyss of fear.

'She's going to try to find him,' Rouge thought fretfully. 'And if she does, her soldiers will take him away, and who knows what she'll do to him? No…! They can't—! _She _can't take him away either!'

She tossed the communicator aside on the sofa and hastily ran to her bedroom. Her clock read 23:56.

She raced up the hallway. She sharply halted, and stood in the doorway to her bedroom, frozen: her room was deserted. Her bed had been neatly made up with everything placed thoughtfully. Everything seemed untouched, and Rouge was still frozen. Total panic and fear rushed throughout her body. Tears began to bleed from her eyes.

"No… He's gone." Her throat caught. _"Shadow!"_

AREA 99—MEANWHILE…

"Ready yourselves, with firearms engaged! Fall in, soldiers!" Commander Roderich issued to his men. "There's an 'Ultimate Life Form' on the loose with its location unknown. It must, I repeat, _must _be apprehended as soon as possible. In order to retain prosperity within our Nation, this threat must be dealt with by whom?"

"Us, sir!" the soldiers fired back in unison.

"This force that ultimately threatens the innocents of our Nation must be dealt with by whom?"

"Us, sir!"

"The righteousness and valor that strengthens this Nation is _whom?"_

"We, the Federal Forces!" The soldiers saluted.

Commander Roderich smirked. "To your battle stations, men! This hunt starts now!"

The Federal Forces' Army Brigade and Air Force started to scour the starlit desert sky. Sirens blared the release of Aerial Hangars and the Helios Rockets. They took off into the night, while Foot Soldiers compiled into Hangars to leave ground. All in all, a sea of Federal Forces aircraft massed into the sky, a long ways away from Central City. Their hunt had recommenced.

And the President sat in Area 11 Central Headquarters, viewing the departure by monitor intently. He shut his eyes.

'Rouge is bound to hate me for this.'

**Segment Eight Completed.**


	9. Segment Nine: The Capture

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Nine — The Capture**

'Oh no! Shadow, where are you? I've got to find him before it's too late! Oh, please, let him be all right…!'

Rouge took flight over Night Babylon from her third-story window. It was a cooler night than Rouge had expected, and she could hear very distant thunder as she flew; she was wearing her magenta-and-purple covert suit, despite the coolness.

She was in desperate search for Shadow.

'Please, let him be safe,' Rouge thought to herself. She glided through the nighttime air as inconspicuously as possible.

Then, she saw something glinting below her.

"Target sighted…" someone murmured.

Then, all Rouge heard was a startling gunshot. She instinctively flew away to dodge it, but it nicked her wing. She yelped in pain. She began to speed away through the chilled late-night air, heading toward Central City.

"Target has evaded. Commencing pursuit." The dark figure saddled himself and sped away on his motorcycle. He seemed to be wearing a red band with the insignia of an "R" on his shoulder.

Rouge took off like the wind, trying to lose the supposed GUNR agent. She glanced back to see how far behind he was, but he had already caught up with her. She gasped. He quickly took aim and fired. Fortunately, Rouge was able to dodge the round. She hastily roosted herself on top of one of the Highway's suspenders for safety. The GUNR officer skidded, taking aim again and firing a few more rounds. Rouge ducked, cringing. She spotted the river flowing through Central City below her. She glared sternly down at it. She heard more shots fire as she dove toward the river. She crossed her arms over her chest, tightly folded her wings, and free-fell.

The GUNR soldier leapt over the road median and ran to the edge of the bridge.

"The target has free-fallen off the bridge…!" But he gazed into the shadows. He could not hear any splashes.

Cleverly, Rouge spiraled out of her fall in the nick of time and soared toward the inner city limits.

The GUNR agent heard rippling water. He snarled angrily.

"Forget that last transmission, she's survived the fall. I'm resuming pursuit." His vehicle roared as sped down the highway.

* * *

><p>Shadow found himself peering over one of Central City's shopping districts from a high distance. He watched human passersby stroll the streets casually. He spotted a young couple walking down the sidewalk, holding hands.<p>

'Are they the ones she wanted me to save?' he asked himself. He glanced at another group of young adult friends chattering outside of a bistro. 'These…'

A mother and her playful toddler passed by them.

'Humans…?' He softly shut his eyes and started to walk when he heard something.

"_Shadow!" _Rouge's voice cried out.

Shadow flashed his sights behind him.

Rouge sharply banked a corner and was flying straight toward Shadow.

His natural grimace lightened. "It's her again. Rouge…!"

She looked quite afraid. But, before she realized that she was flying too fast, she was some meters away from him. She reflexively decelerated, but ended up colliding into him. Shadow managed to catch her, though.

A GUN Federal Forces helicopter swooped in from behind. It shined a spotlight on them. Shadow still had Rouge in his arms, glowering at the helicopter. She blushed intensely.

"GUN Federal Forces Agent Number Ninety-One, you are surrounded," called a female Federal Forces officer. "As Officer Topaz of the GUNFF Area 11 Central Command, I order you to surrender the Subject, if you want to avoid arrest."

Rouge and Shadow stood together. They both glared up at the helicopter. Then, Rouge leapt in front of him as if to protect him.

"No! I'm not letting you take him from me!" she fired back firmly.

Shadow froze in place, recalling a flashback.

"…_You have to be brave for me. All right?"_

_Just realizing that this moment is a reality causes tears to build. I feel them begin to slither down my cheek, and I impulsively lower my head. That's when I feel her warmth embracing me lovingly._

"_I'm always here with you," she whispers into my ear proudly. "I love you…Shadow."_

…

"_I'm not letting you take him away from me!"_

'She's…protecting me,' Shadow thought frigidly. Then, his face relaxed, uncertain but determined. 'Then, I must protect her in return.'

"Fair warning: If you choose not to surrender, we will persist until you do…Rouge," The female officer warned again.

Rouge grimaced, but gasped at the sight of another armed helicopter swooping in beside the first one. Both helicopters seemed to be taking aim.

"Shadow—!" She was about to take his wrist, but he'd already taken hers. She glimpsed up at him, and smiled at him. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Shadow nodded. They both sprinted out of the way of the helicopters' machine-gun fire to the edge of the roof and leapt over it.

"_What?" _Officer Topaz gawked.

Free-falling, Shadow spotted Rouge's injury, from the bullet that had nicked her wing. He furrowed his brows pensively. He then moved in on her, clasping onto her. She glimpsed back at him. She suddenly felt herself in his arms again. Shadow held Rouge close against him and landed on the ground effortlessly. Rouge cringed, gasping a little, when they landed.

Soon, GUN Federal Forces' infantry soldiers were lining up before Shadow and Rouge, armed and aimed at them. The helicopters stayed in the air, shining their spotlights down on the two fugitives.

"We're giving you one last chance, Rouge! Hand him over and surrender or face arrest," cried the female operative.

"They just won't quit, will they?" Rouge questioned belligerently. Then, back at Officer Topaz, she yelled, "Even if it means being stripped of my federal position, I won't let any of you even lay a finger on him—!"

"No, Rouge," Shadow stopped her, throwing an arm in front of her. "I believe it's my turn to protect you." He looked back at her.

Rouge paused for a moment to blink. She understood and smiled. She watched him nod with confidence.

He slowly began to approach the human barricade. The reactions of the soldiers flared, their muscles tense and minds sharp. They tightened their aim, ready to subdue the hedgehog at any given moment.

"Surrender or be destroyed, Ultimate Life," one barricade gunman shouted. His rifle was aimed directly at Shadow's chest.

Shadow's footsteps halted. He began to gather some of his strength for an attack: His fists began to glow a crimson aura.

"I will protect her…! CHAOS ERUPTION!"

He slapped his palms against the concrete. Sparks of Chaos Energy flared from Shadow's hands and zigzagged toward the human barricade. A subterranean level suddenly erupted from the jagged crevice as Chaos Energy. The barricade was cleared away, with the gunman being shot into the air by the pressure that rose several meters high.

The red sparks flaring in Shadow's hands faded, and he stood calmly.

"Shadow," Rouge cried, racing up from behind. "Are you—!"

"Come on. Let's go," Shadow told her.

He then grasped her wrist, but before they could flee, two Assault Mecha obstructed their path. Quickly the mecha suits armed themselves and took aim with their enormous, cannon-sized rifles directly at them. One shot would kill Rouge instantly. Shadow threw an arm around her. He held Rouge closer to him.

"Rouge, do you have the Chaos Emerald with you?" Shadow asked promptly.

She blinked, then reached inside of her utility belt's pocket and gave it to Shadow.

"Good. Let's get out of here."

About to call out Chaos Control, the two Assault Mecha fired their weapons in close succession.

"Shadow!" Rouge cried, burrowing her face into Shadow's chest.

He flashed the Chaos Emerald out in front of him. "CHAOS CONTROL!"

The two of them disappeared from everyone's sight, and twin consecutive blasts caused the pavement to explode. Debris flew up into the air and rained down as chunks of asphalt. The GUN Federal Forces' helicopters had lost visual on their targets, and Officer Topaz wasn't too pleased.

"Ergh…! Damn!" she cursed under her breath. She took a quick glance over at the Assault Mecha below and questioned them.

One of them had taken aim at the helicopter. "Thanks for finding him for us…" the pilot in the Mecha snickered.

'That's not ours…!' She gasped. Officer Topaz's mind was suddenly in a frenzy. "Pull back," she sharply ordered. "Pull back, _now!"_

The helicopter pilot followed the order promptly and maneuvered out of the Mecha's line of fire. The huge bullet missed them, but scored a direct hit to the helicopter next to them. The fallen aerial vehicle spun dizzily out of the air and crashed into a building close by. The Federal Forces infantry soldiers scattered, trying to outrun the falling debris, but some of them, unfortunately, were crushed.

Shadow and Rouge were hiding in an alleyway away from the action.

"Rouge, I need you to get out of here while you still can, and quickly," Shadow ordered. "Just let me handle this. You have to get as far away from here as possible, or else you'll—!"

"I'm not leaving without you, Shadow," Rouge protested. "I can't."

Shadow blinked, grimacing. "Fine, do what you want. Just stay out of my way, so you can escape. I'll distract them. Now, go!"

Rouge nodded and ran out of the alley and behind the two mecha, undetected.

Shadow summoned another fraction of Chaos Energy from the Emerald and reappeared in front of the Assault Mecha. He caught on to a whipping sound from behind him. He sharply flashed his sights around, but he screamed. Before he realized it, he had been shot by a Taser gun. Electricity surged throughout his body, and he felt himself fall to the ground, his senses temporarily in disarray. The surviving GUNFF soldiers quickly armed themselves with their sedation pistols again. They neared him cautiously.

Shadow had rearranged his senses when he heard a scream. He sharply turned his fiery crimson sights to its source. "Rouge!"

She was cornered by, now, four mecha Assault Units. She would have flown, if her wing weren't even more injured than from before. Her body had crashed harshly against the asphalt when one of the mecha had smacked her down, preventing her from flying away. She gawked at each of them and immediately noticed something.

'That insignia…' she thought. She spotted the "R" as its final letter. 'It's the GUN Rebellion! They're here, too! But that's means I can't let either side take him away! I…!' She lied there on the ground helplessly, clutching the scrape on her arm. "Shadow…help me…!"

Shadow froze for a moment, recalling another flashback.

"_You'll always be my little angel…Shadow." _

_Miss Laura… So hurt and so weak and helpless…I can't bear to watch. I feel so helpless watching her struggle like this. My tears spill from my eyes…as I hold them shut…_

"_Miss Laura!"_

Shadow's body suddenly flared with the same crimson energy from before. His power skyrocketed dramatically, his aura growing brighter and steadily transmuting into blackness by the second; his anger did as well. Everything not mounted to the earth within a broad radius began to lift and defy gravity, including the fleeing bystanders. Even the Assault Mecha were lifted off the ground. Rouge began to hover into the air. She stared into Shadow's blackening eyes.

'Oh no…! Not again,' she thought horridly.

Shadow growled, "No…!"

The streetlights flickered before shattering, and the windowpanes of nearby buildings began to split into spiderweb-like fractures. The ground beneath Shadow cratered due to the immense power. Gravity was thrown out of balance, with everything and everyone within range of him floating upward.

"Don't you dare hurt her," Shadow threatened deeply. His eyes went completely black, and his power burst from within, expanding out toward everything within radius.

"CHAOS BLAST!"

The light died away, and so did everything in his immediate path: Three complete city blocks within radius had been obliterated. The GUN barricade had been hurled away, and the soldiers were dead—as well as the innocent bystanders. The four Assault Mecha had been moved, crippled temporarily by the shockwave, but Shadow managed to recapture their attention.

"He's ours! Get him!" one of the pilots ordered.

Then, he and the closest mech to him sped toward Shadow at accelerating velocity. They ascended and took aim. Shadow followed their movements and grimaced heavily, feeling the blustery thrust from the mecha's afterburners.

Figuring out the precise trajectory of their aim, Shadow began to speed away, dodging missile fire. As he outran the barrage of missiles, he latched onto the Chaos Emerald that he'd dropped and headed straight for Rouge, but before he could reach her, the other couple of Mecha glided into his path and one attempted to slap him aside. However, Shadow's swift reflexes guided him to leap onto the incoming arm and flip into the air. While sustaining altitude, he summoned his power again.

"CHAOS BARRAGE!"

Sharp missiles of Chaos Energy darted from a small orb, hailing down upon the mecha. They lanced through the three targets' titanium-cored armor as well as the pilots. One managed to dodge them just in the nick of time and hovered out of Shadow's range of sight.

Shadow landed in the crater and stood there for an instant.

But, within that instant, Rouge could feel that there a sense of frenzied anger on Shadow's face before it vanished, along with the yellow ring in his eyes.

Shadow blinked before dashing off toward Rouge, who was still wondering about Shadow's furious anger. Shadow then took her up into his arms and skated away before the three Assault Units exploded in fiery blasts that could possibly be seen many blocks away.

The surviving Assault Unit reappeared next to the crater Shadow had made. The cockpit's hatch lifted, revealing the same GUNR motorcyclist that had chased down Rouge. His navy-blue hair billowed in the nighttime breeze. His shades gleamed; after he removed them, his dark grayish-blue eyes shimmering gravely.

"This is Number Ninety-Three of the GUN Rebellion Mecha Assault Unit reporting in," the agent radioed in. "The Subject has counterattacked and fled. Combined casualties of enemy government, our own, and innocents have been sited. Requesting elite backup—I repeat, _elite _backup."

RADICAL HIGHWAY—1:01

Shadow finally slowed to a stop with Rouge cradled in his arms. He set Rouge onto solid ground. Rouge stood firmly, making sure she had her balance. She was rubbing her head when she noticed Shadow turning away from her. She blinked a little, while he started to saunter off, until he was halted.

"Wait, Shadow," Rouge called after him. "Where are you going? It's not safe for you to roam around the city by yourself."

He stood, motionless for the moment. "Rouge…I want you to leave here and not look back," he told her without facing her. "It's _not _safe, you're right…not safe for _you."_

Rouge was confused. "What—? What do you mean?"

He was silent.

"Shadow…?"

Shadow stiffened before he relaxed, appearing guilty. Shadow closed his eyes. He stood rightly aligned and still. And quiet.

"I'd rather not say."

Neither of them dared to speak. It was an eerie kind of silence that was hovering over them; a silence that could easily be broken. A roll of thunder stomped over them. Lightning sparked within the thunderous atmosphere, before icy rain plummeted from it. It pelted the earth below, shattering the silence like glass. Both Rouge and Shadow were impeccably quiet whilst the storm went on.

Rouge despised the wet and the cold, but she had endure both for right now. She glanced at Shadow being pelted with rainwater. He remained silent the entire while, as though not heeding the rain drenching his fur and spines. He refused to allow any signs of the cold to be seen. He didn't shiver or shake; he just stood there, bravely, in the rain.

Rouge sighed. 'He's so resilient,' she thought admiringly. Yet, her ears folded. 'I know he must be cold. He just won't show it…' She began to approach him, holding her hands against her arms.

"Umm, Shadow?" Rouge said timidly. "I don't want you getting sick. Let's just go home." She paused to hear his reaction, but there was none. She bowed her head. She gripped her arms tighter.

Shadow suddenly felt her arms wrap around his waist. He grimaced, tightening his fists; Rouge saw this, and instantly felt terrible. "Shadow…?" Her voice was soft.

'Do you hate me?'

He softly opened his eyes and glimpsed back at her, sternly gazing into glazed turquoises. "I can't," was his just-as-soft reply, as he looked away.

Thunder boomed as he lightly opened the hands that were clasped around his waist, setting the Chaos Emerald into them.

Rouge nuzzled his back with her cheek. She felt tears beginning to kindle in her eyes as she gripped the Emerald.

'Shadow…I want to be with you, but I can't…if you keep running away.' Her tears fell.

A cutting flash of lightning sliced through the sky. Then, the headlights of a large, speeding vehicle appeared in the distance, and they were approaching fast. Both Shadow and Rouge's ears perked, hearing it approaching. They turned their sights toward the GUN Rebellion mobile hangar accelerating toward them.

Shadow frowned, eyes sparked with adrenaline.

"Get out of the way!"

He roughly grasped Rouge and hastily leapt out of the truck's line of fire. "Shadow!" he heard Rouge cry out. He felt his side skidding across the slippery roadway, still holding close to her. But then, he felt a startling blow to the back of his head; he had collided with the road median. He blacked out.

Rouge managed to sit up and rubbed her head. She moaned. She blinked a little to focus.

"Ooh… What happened…!"

She gasped, discovering Shadow lying beside her, unconscious. "Oh no! Shadow!" She shook him feverishly, but he was irresponsive. "Shadow! Shadow, wake up! Shadow! Shadow!…"

_My memories are like dreams…but more so, like nightmares. I wish for all of them to disappear. I don't want Rouge to be a part of this anymore. I want her to be…to be…! _

Rouge continued to cry out, "Shadow, please, wake up! Please, Shadow! Shadow—!"

"No hope, now, Ninety-One," a familiar voice echoed out.

Rouge hastily found the Chaos Emerald beside her and snatched it, holding it close.

"You're trapped, you and the Ultimate Life Form. There's nowhere for you to run, now."

The Assault Mech from before had returned, descending from behind. This time, it had yet another partner; they landed with a mechanized thud.

Rouge scowled.

The Mecha turned to face her. They armed themselves with their rifles and took aim at her. Rouge froze, eyes wide.

"This…is your end," said Number Ninety-Three grimly. Their rifles conjured their energy for laser fire, preparing to shoot.

"_Shadow!"_

Within those last few seconds did Shadow awaken and throw a shield of energy over them before the rifles fired. Energy signatures collided, and Shadow's Chaos Energy shield cracked, diffusing the other signature and creating some smoke. When it cleared, Rouge found Shadow kneeling in front of her, his hands outstretched before him, holding the shield. His shield slowly repaired the crack as Shadow breathed shallow breaths.

"…Safe," he sighed.

Rouge grinned, happy to see that he was all right.

Shadow collapsed his shield and got to his feet. He scowled. He heard Rouge run up next to him, hiding the Emerald in her belt and interlocking arms with him.

"Heh heh. Not bad, Ultimate Life," Ninety-Three admitted sarcastically. "Nice save, but can you handle this? Full throttle assault!" The two Assault Mecha equipped themselves with twin fully-automatic MM-19 machine guns and aimed them at Shadow. "You're mine!"

They fired.

Shadow and Rouge ducked and dodged out of the way of the hellfire bullets. Rouge was quite swift on foot, but she wished she could fly. Shadow skated, weaving in and out between the sprays of bullets to target one of the mecha. He managed to penetrate it, ready to attack, but was swatted aside harshly. He grunted as he collided and tumbled across the road.

"Shadow!" Rouge ran back toward where Shadow was, but a mechanical hand grabbed her, nearly attempting to crush her; she yelped. The gigantic hand pulled her in front of the cockpit. Its hatch opened up, and there sat Number Ninety-Two, smirking his brown lips and dimpling his brown cheeks. His eyes were of sharpest green, with cropped curls of auburn. Rouge's ears folded low as she made a nervous face. She was struggling to save herself from being crushed.

"Once you're out of our way," Ninety-Two started.

"The Ultimate Life Form will be ours to control," Ninety-Three finished, hovering next to him. "I see you have a fond attachment to the Subject, Agent Ninety-One," he continued to say arrogantly, knowing that they clearly outranked her. He quirked a smile, reaching out to grasp her chin. "What is he to you, your little boyfriend?" He snickered impishly. Agent Ninety-Two did the same.

Rouge's cheeks flushed a humiliating shade of pink as she glared hatefully at them. About to lose her temper, she whipped her head out of his grasp and yelled, "Shut the hell up—!" She felt more constriction; Ninety-Two was squeezing her as if she were a plastic bottle. She let out a small wail.

"Even if we did, what would it matter? You can't tell us what to do. Now, let's get this over with," Ninety-Three began. "So we can—!"

Shadow was on two feet, able to stand. He let go of his scraped bicep, glaring evilly at the two agents. "Let, her, go," he demanded, his voice deep and threatening.

The two other agents smirked. "Hmph, make us…!" Ninety-Three replied arrogantly. Ninety-Two clutched Rouge tighter, causing her to cry out and a spark of memory to flash.

_Miss Laura…screaming in pain… Helpless…_

Shadow's crimson eyes became ringed with yellow, only slightly wider this time.

He scowled with fury. "Let, her, _go!" _

He charged at them at full speed.

"He's on the move. Evasive action!" Ninety-Three ordered quickly. "Move, now!" The two Assault Mecha swerved aside. Shadow sharply darted a glare at the mech that had Rouge in its grasp. Agent Ninety-Two smirked, cackling to himself inside the cockpit. 'Come and get me, hedgehog…' he thought sneakily.

Shadow grimaced. He rocketed toward him, and abruptly disappeared.

Ninety-Two whirled his head back and forth. "Where'd he go?" he said within his cockpit.

"Shadow…" Rouge wailed faintly. "Help…!"

Suddenly, Ninety-Two wildly howled.

Ninety-Three's eyes widened. "What the…!"

Shadow had reappeared and sliced away the mecha's arm that held Rouge. He heard her gasp as he deeply scowled at the more distant agent.

Ninety-Three gawked at him. 'Damn, he's fast…!'

Ninety-Two held his arm, feeling a surge of electricity shoot along it. The Assault Mecha were all neuro-cybernetic, meaning Ninety-Two could feel the actual pain of having his own arm cut off. The pain was immense, and it managed to disable him for some time.

The hand clasping Rouge fell with a loud clank. It released her, no longer heeding the command to crush her. Feeling a sense of urgency, Rouge was able to sprint off, out of eyeshot of the mecha. A bolt of lightning struck, with thunder in chase. But, suddenly, Rouge skidded to a halt and threw her sights about, trying to track down Shadow. 'Oh no,' she thought in a panicked voice. 'Where'd he go?'

"Damn you!"

It was Number Ninety-Two who cried out, on the offensive again. He swiped his other hand toward Shadow, but Shadow blocked it. He felt the harsh metal swat him aside, crashed through the road median, and tumbled away. He groaned, trying to push himself up.

"_I'll crush you!" _Ninety-Two screamed, but was cut off.

"No, you won't, you idiot!" Ninety-Three swooped an arm in front of him. "The General wants him alive, remember?" He radioed in, "Eighty-Nine! Ninety!"

Then, thunder crackled above them, and the armored hangar from before skidded to a halt on the slick pavement. Two figures exited from the truck and approached the trailer: One agent was tall and had a tough build. His blond hair spiked in the rain, and his brilliant blue eyes stood out. Slung across his shoulder was a sedation rifle. He wore the traditional burgundy-and-black GUNR uniform with its insignia on his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his chest, as his partner walked up from behind him.

The agent walking up was of much shorter height than his partner, as well as a smaller build. He also sported the burgundy-and-black uniform of the rebel government with a sedative rifle slung on a shoulder. He placed his fists upon his hips, smirking.

"Too bad, Ninety-One," he chuckled, looming his brown eyes over his shoulder.

Rouge had been cut off course from her escape route. She would have flown, but in addition to her wing still recovering, she knew that lightning seemed to have a special "sense" of striking certain objects that could fly. She stepped back from the trailer, seeing the GUNR emblem on the side of it. She frowned at it, clenching her fists.

"You were almost there, too." He shrugged, then cackled.

She shot her sights at him, icy eyes glaring.

"Ninety! Stop fooling around and get your ass over here," Ninety-Three ordered, his hatch opening.

"You too, Eighty-Nine," Ninety-Two added. His hatch lifted as well. He was still holding his arm. He glowered.

"All right! All right, here we come!" The brown-haired agent waved a hand. He and Eighty-Nine headed over to Shadow, who was struggling to get to his feet. After stopping next to the Assault Mecha, they were issued another command.

"Sedate him, then seal him away," Ninety-Three whispered to them.

The other two agents smirked. Then, they went on to menacingly stalk toward Shadow, readily arming themselves with their sedation rifles.

Shadow was weakened from being swiped aside and crashing through the concrete road median. He was able to stand up, though, holding the scrape on his arm; through refocusing vision, he saw the two agents aiming at him. He grimaced.

"G'night, mate," Ninety said deviously, placing his finger on the trigger.

"Leave him _alone!"_ Rouge cried. She speared him to the ground with her steel-enforced boots. Ninety coughed out a cry, landing flat on his face. He pushed himself up and rubbed away the dirt from off his face.

"Why you little…!" Ninety murmured.

Seeing Eighty-Nine about to grab her, Rouge instinctively kicked him aside, using her flexibility right on top of Ninety's back. Eighty-Nine clutched his stomach, staggering backwards.

"Shadow!" Rouge ran towards him, but the fallen agent caught her ankle. He smirked. Rouge tried to get him to release her, but he was too strong—stronger than she thought. "Shadow!"

Shadow had enough energy to attack. Summoning a bit of it, he called out, "CHAOS SPEAR!"

From up above, four sparking Chaos Energy bolts fell, steadily aimed at Agent Ninety. But Ninety saw them coming: he quickly released Rouge's ankle and rolled aside. The Chaos spears struck the concrete in succession, but missed their target.

"Nice shot, mate," Ninety chuckled sarcastically, quickly getting up. "But you're going to need more than that to take us down. As for you…!" He startlingly leapt to his feet, attempting to grab Rouge, but Rouge swiftly sidestepped and performed a jump kick to his back. After landing, she stepped back to recapture balance, but felt herself stumble against something. She turned around to see, and before she realized it, she was trapped within Eighty-Nine's grasp. She was too tightly bound to wriggle out of his grip.

"What do you want with us?" she implored angrily.

Eighty-Nine just smirked. "It's not _you_ we want," he replied to her. He veered his eyes over to Shadow. "It's _him."_

"So, we suggest you stay of our way, little lady," Ninety added, getting to them. "Unless…" His expression became impish. He snickered, holding her chin. _"You _wanted to come with…?"

Rouge whipped her head away and snarled at him. She suddenly felt her body tighten, Eighty-Nine's grip on her tightening. She moaned.

"Leave her out of this!" Shadow's voice seemed to have thundered. He was clutching his arm again. Lightning flashed that moment, its cutting flash wedged the sky as did Shadow's yellow-ringed crimson eyes to Rouge. She could sense the anger in his eyes.

"Shadow…" she whispered.

"Oh, but she has _everything_ to do with this, Ultimate Life," Eighty-Nine argued.

"_She's _the one who was assigned this mission in the first place—to find and seize _you,"_ Ninety cackled. "Now that she's gone back on her word, _both _sides of the government are ready to arrest her for duplicitous treason!"

Shadow's eyes quivered. "What…?"

"It's not all her fault, though," Eighty-Nine threw in.

"Yeah," Ninety agreed. "But…maybe if you had just surrendered like you were told back there, things wouldn't have gotten this far!" Ninety snarled. 'And we wouldn't have had to carry our lazy asses all the way out here…!'

Shadow was silent.

Rouge bowed her head, looking away from Shadow and feeling the urge to cry.

"She's wanted by both sides of the GUN just because of _you? _Heh! I could've locked you up _way _faster than she ever could! That's just how weak she is!"

Eighty-Nine tightened his grip around her. Rouge cried out in pain.

Another bolt of light flashed and a gust picked up.

Suddenly, loose debris steadily began to levitate from the ground. The bridge's pavement began to crease, forming splits and cracks. Its suspenders were disconnecting one by one. Shadow's power was growing again.

"Oh no, he's at it again!" Ninety-Two panicked.

"So, he is **S**-ranked," Ninety-Three recounted to himself. "Machine weaponry at full arsenal, armed and ready to fire! Epsilon-Upsilon Feint Maneuver! Go!"

Both of the Assault Mecha mimicked each other's moves as they started out, simultaneously skimming toward Shadow. Rapid-fire bullets blasted the asphalt before Shadow's feet, but their target had teleported and reappeared high into the air.

"CHAOS BARRAGE!"

Several arrow-like comets of Chaos Energy rained down as thunder boomed above. The twin Assault Mecha below swerved in and out of the attack of comets, yet a few managed to strike one of its targets: Number Ninety-Three. He grunted, his cybernetic nerves sparking inside. "Damn it…!"

"Ninety-Three!" Ninety-Two became even more enraged. He senselessly charged up at Shadow, revving his arm to throw a punch, but Shadow vanished again. 'Just like before,' he thought. "You're not going to fool me again, hedgehog! You're mine!"

Shadow suddenly reappeared from the subspaces of Chaos Control. He faced his palms toward the titanium armor on the back of the Assault Mech.

"CHAOS SHOCKWAVE!"

A flash of Energy exploded under his palms. Number Ninety-Two screamed in severe pain, as if the flesh on his back had been blown clean off. He descended, but the brawl wasn't over: Ninety-Three accelerated sharply, catching Shadow off guard, and a harsh blow to the side of his head had been made. Ninety-Three kept on ascending upward, watching as Shadow lost altitude. Shadow could see a blur of another mech fly up beside him.

"This is for cutting off my arm, you little bastard!" Ninety-Two shouted vengefully. His arm revved back and struck a brutal punch to Shadow's abdomen. His target exhaled spittle, and he could barely make out the last words due to the shock.

"We're pretty fast healers, too…huh, Ultimate Life?"

Ninety-Two slashed a sharp chop to Shadow's back and sent him plummeting into the concrete road below. Shadow crashed into the concrete road, hollowing it deeply. Debris of great size flew, and the result flung Rouge backwards.

"Shadow, no!" Rouge screamed fearfully. She shrieked as she was sent flying backward. But she felt herself slamming hard against metal and was knocked unconscious.

* * *

><p>The dusty haze cleared, and the twin Assault Mecha landed with a mechanized thud around the crater. Inside of it was Shadow—battered, somewhat bloody, and irresponsive.<p>

"Heh, he wasn't as strong as I thought he'd be, mate," Ninety snickered, approaching the crater as well with Number Eighty-Nine close behind.

"But that doesn't mean we should underestimate his power," Number Ninety-Three informed them. His cockpit hatch lifted; so did Ninety-Two's. Their uniforms were scorched by the sparking in their cockpits earlier. Ninety-Three glared over at his partner.

"Let's just hope we didn't _kill _him…!" he said grimly with a hint of annoyance. He scowled. "Lock him up," he ordered.

Eighty-Nine and Ninety nodded. They carefully approached Shadow and lifted him up cautiously.

"Gosh, he's out cold, ain't he?" commented the slender agent, placing a strange metal orb in the middle of the air. It activated, opened, and floated before them in the form of a containment sphere.

"What about Rouge?" his buff partner asked as he lifted Shadow into his arms.

"Who, that Traitor?"

They all suddenly felt the concrete beneath them starting to sink.

"Oh boy…!" Ninety blinked.

"You idiots! Get out of there, now!" Ninety-Three sharply ordered, he and his partner closing their hatches. The main flying apparatuses on both Mecha flared with power. They hovered quickly over to the armored hangar and waited as Eighty-Nine and Ninety ran for their lives toward them, carrying Shadow within the sphere. At the very last second did the heavily damaged bridge collapse under their weight and Shadow's impact.

They all watched as Radical Highway fell into the river, splashing and gurgling, with police sirens following.

"Crap…! Just get him into the damn hangar before the cops come!" Ninety-Three seethed angrily.

Ninety hastily raised the trailer door. Inside the trailer of the truck, there was a containment field, and there seemed to be electricity surging from it. They climbed into the trailer and guided the orb Shadow was in toward the capsule. The officers carefully set him inside. The electric field absorbed the sphere safely.

The hefty agent had ran back to the door and called back, "Come on. Let's get out of here!"

The slender agent tapped in a code on a touch-screen console, and the electricity surged solidly, forming a force field around the containment sphere. He smirked down at the comatose hedgehog before he ran and hopped out of the trailer. He reached up for the door handle and lowered it shut, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

Shadow was left in darkness.

The GUNR armored hangar and Number Ninety-Two darted away, but he noticed his superior retrieve the irresponsive Rouge. "What are you going to do with her?"

"She's still an agent, Ninety-Two," his superior spoke. "We can't risk her getting busted by the local police and having to confess everything…or else she'll ruin it for the Madam General."

Number Ninety-Two nodded in understanding.

Numbers Eighty-Nine and Ninety drove hurriedly to keep up with their superiors.

"I think the Madam General will be very pleased," Eighty-Nine stated slyly. He heard his passenger snickering.

"Don't worry, Ultimate Life," Ninety said. His mouth upturned smugly. "You'll only be in there for a little while," he said sarcastically, eyeing the monitor in the dashboard, observing Shadow as he slept artificially. Typing something into dashboard's monitor, he stated, "Initiating Camouflage Mode."

And with that, the GUNR agents escaped from the local police silently.

**Segment Nine Completed.**


	10. Segment Ten: The Coalition

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Ten — The Coalition**

_Shadow… Oh, please, let him be safe._

"This is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"The Ultimate Life Form…? Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. According to our access into the GUN Federal Forces' Intelligence Archives we'd managed to hack, he is, sir."

Second Lieutenant General Number Ninety-Seven looked away from Agent Number Eighty-Nine to eye the dormant being inside a spherical container suspiciously.

"So, this is the result of Project: Shadow's hard-won success, Number Ninety-Two?" he asked as the said agent walked in.

Blond Eighty-Nine, brunet Ninety, and the Second Lieutenant General all turned to see two slender figures walking into the chamber: Number Ninety-Two had a gauze wrap around his arm, while Ninety-Three received bandages around his shoulders and bare waist. Both of them were recovering after having experienced the stimuli of Shadow's painful attacks. They were both still sore.

Number Ninety-Two grunted. "Yes, sir."

Ninety-Seven blinked. "What happened to you?" He grimaced. "And where is Ninety-One?"

Ninety-Three glared down at the floor. After a pause, he began to explain. "Well, sir, at some point in the midst of the Ultimate Life Form's capture, she tried to protect him from us. As one to have memorized all regulations of our government, I saw that as a term of endearment—disobedience, in my eyes. She was quite resistant during the capture. She was even threatening to throw away her position in the government for him…but at the very last moment of the mission, after a tussle we had with him, I found her lying unconscious and decided to get her out of there, so she wouldn't get even more caught up in the two-way crossfire with both sides of the GUN, with Central City police."

Ninety-Two frowned.

Ninety-Three saluted. "Sir."

Ninety-Seven frowned as well, thoughtfully. "Hmm, I see."

"Sir, permission to add," Eighty-Nine stated, saluting.

Ninety-Seven nodded him the go-ahead.

"Well, to start off, sir, this being…" They turned to face the capsule's occupant. "He is an extremely powerful and dangerous opponent. He was able to overthrow an entire barricade of the Federal Forces' soldiers within seconds. He also managed to destroy three of our Assault Mecha, killing Numbers Eighty-Six, Eighty-Seven, and Eighty-Eight, and somewhat protecting Rouge all the same. He and Rouge managed to escape momentarily, but we caught up with them." He stood aside for Ninety-Seven to see better. "And he is now here, sir."

The Second Lieutenant General eyed Shadow resting within the containment unit, recuperating from the fight he had served: he slept there, curled up on a contoured pillow that synthesized comfort to promote pleasant dreaming, even though his body had gone through so much duress. Air Seal Gauze wraps covered his scars, an antiseptic speed-healer applied to them to promote faster healing. His eyes remained closed throughout the while; Ninety-Seven stared meaningfully into Shadow's dormant face.

Eighty-Nine glowered sternly. "Obviously, now that he's been exposed to the civilian public, this will mean trouble—_serious _trouble, sir—enough to put the entire nation in danger. I believe he should be exterminated as soon as possible." Ninety-Seven gave him a peculiar look; Eighty-Nine blinked a little. "But, um, what do you suppose we do, sir?"

Ninety-Seven thought for a moment. "There are other plans we have in store for him. I believe we should keep him dormant for the time being, until the second phase of her plan commences." He threw another concerned glance at the comatose hedgehog, his breathing steady and his face calm. The Lieutenant General felt the bitter aftertaste of guilt hang over him: his soldiers had taken him by such force—with such brutality, he imagined—and abandoned Rouge.

He pressed in on the hinge of his shaded glasses, which brought up the entire records base of every active GUN Rebellion operative wirelessly. He scanned through until he found Rouge's record file.

"So, Lieutenant General sir, what about that 'Traitor', Rouge?" Ninety brought up, stuffing his hands in his pockets, as Ninety-Seven glanced through her file.

He spotted something that made him scowl. "No wonder you keep calling her a traitor…" Her record was highlighted. "Her allegiance with the GUN Rebellion and her mission authorization have been compromised. It says here that her activity has been recorded by the Federal Forces ever since she joined us a few weeks back. Heh…!" Her file was deleted from the database. "She can stay on the enemy side for all I care. She's deliberately disobeyed orders from us _and_ the Federal Forces. No one as rebellious as her needs to be in _anyone's _military, let alone ours."

"Nothing but a traitorous wench, I swear…" Ninety whispered to himself, shrugging his shoulders. "If she's such a traitor, you should just kill her, I tell you."

"That's too drastic, even for us, Ninety." Ninety-Seven logged out the database. "If she was still one of our own, it would be. But now, it's a whole new story."

"Yeah, I think you got a little too happy about that one." Ninety-Two threw in right into his ear, a smug grin on his face. He flicked his eyebrows; Ninety furrowed his brows, growling under his breath.

"You must really like her…!" His superior snickered.

"Shut up!" Ninety barked.

The Lieutenant General drowned out the boisterous nonsense behind him, staring carefully into Shadow's face, examining it. He crossed his arms.

'She is of no use to us, now. She's lived up to her usefulness, and now, she's nothing but another enemy.' He smirked a bit. 'And he will be the perfect weapon of choice to use against her.'

CENTRAL CITY PARK—2:43

The downpour had not yet paused from its drizzling. The thunder still clashed above in the sky as lightning struck down from the heavens. The early morning was still gloom-and-doom.

_Rouge had returned from being unconsciousness after the GUN Rebellion agents left, taking Shadow with them. She sat up, rubbing her head, moaning quietly._

"_Ugh…! What the…? What happened?" She looked up and saw a dark shape above her: only for it to be a tree, and the dreadfully dark-gray sky above it. She felt rainwater splashing on her, and she flinched. "Huh? Where am I?" She braced herself against the tree and pulled herself up. Her blurred vision cleared up as she peered through it. Then, she gasped, "Shadow!" Her head swapped directions. _

_She stumbled from under the tree, searching desperately in all possible directions several times more._

_But still no Shadow._

"_No…"_

Rouge was perched on the guardrail, looking somberly down into the river's dull depths, rippling from disturbance by the rainfall. Tear streaks formed damp lines down her cheeks, with her tears still skipping down her face. She sat all alone, cold and depressed as the rain fell, deeply ashamed for what she'd done and that she couldn't prevent it.

"Shadow," she rasped under her tears. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Her tear-welled eyes glazed, sadly looming over to the ruined Radical Highway.

There were flashing sirens blaring their clarion calls, and police helicopters hovering around to brighten the site in the distance. Obviously, investigators pulled in to record their sightings and have them developed into newsprint. And speaking of investigators…!

"Hey, hey, hey!" Vector stated to the flock of reporters, trying to get some breathing room. The Chaotix trio appeared at the scene, with news reporters at their heels with questions and interrogations. "No worries, you guys, we got this! You've got the Chaotix on the case. We'll find out who did this 'dastardly' deed…" He glanced back at the gaping aperture in the bridge. A sweat drop slid down the side of his head, grinning crookedly. 'Sooner or later,' he thought hopelessly.

Espio and Charmy stood back and watched Vector deal with the reporters.

"Mr. Vector sir!"

Vector looked behind him to see a short, scrawny-framed man running toward him. Vector blinked.

"What's the news?" Vector asked, his fists akimbo.

"The bridge… Twenty-five meters of it is missing! Only this huge gap remains!"

"Twenty-five meters, you say?" Vector commented. "Well, then…"

'That's a pretty damn huge gap… Is this bridge replaceable?' Another crooked smile stretched across his face.

"First, robot attacks, then a new secret weapon, and now this! What's going on? I'm going crazy over this!" Vector growled. "What could've possibly caused this?"

"Maybe it's not a question of what, Vector," Espio corrected him. He crossed his arms. "But _whom?"_

Vector smoothed out his chin. Charmy peeked from behind Vector, seeing him and Espio contemplating. The child tilted his head.

"Point taken there, Espio. Could be a whom… Hmm…"

"What're you two doing?" Charmy asked ever so openly.

A vein throbbed at the buff crocodile's temple. "What's it look like we're doing, Charmy?" he retorted cynically. "No wonder the narrator thinks you're annoying…!"

"Hey!" The poor child grinded his fists. He pouted.

"Any explanation for this, Vector?" Espio then quietly asked.

"_I _have one," a mysterious voice seemingly answered his question. The voice's owner descended from the shadowy overcast sky and landed a distance away from the Chaotix detectives.

"_Whoa!" _exclaimed Vector, love-struck. "Hubba-hubba!"

Rouge struck a pose and smirked a little. "And it's a _precise_ explanation, too."

She winked.

The remark had Espio blushing timid rose. He sharply turned around, hiding his face, only for it to flush redder.

"And I'm in need of your help."

Espio looked back to see her shyly approaching. He hardened his expression back into a concerned glare.

"_Anything_ for you, Doll Face," Vector tried to charm her, sparkle-eyed.

Espio smacked his forehead; Charmy shrugged, sighing.

Vector came to a handsome, yet overly dramatic, kneel before her. He politely lifted her hand and kissed it.

"The Chaotix Detective Agency is at your service!" Standing up again, Vector added, "What can we do for you?"

"First, one question," Espio intervened. "Can you tell us what has happened here?"

Rouge hesitated a little. Then, she lowered her head deeply.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Vector wondered. He and his partners blinked. They heard her sigh. She seemed ready to cry again.

CHAOTIX DETECTIVE AGENCY—2:59

"So, you're saying this Shadow person got kidnapped by the rebel government, and you need our help to get him back?" Vector recapped, his arms crossed.

Rouge nodded, "Yes." Looking away, she closed her eyes.

Espio gazed at her intently. 'Hmm…' Espio stated, "You seem to know this person best, more than anyone else."

Rouge opened her eyes and looked at him. Her ears lowered sadly. "I kind of do. It feels like I've known him my whole life, even though it's only been about three days. I have a disc filled with files all about him, if you have doubts." She showed it to them.

"Oh, how can we doubt such a pretty face like yours?" Vector charmed her a handsome voice. The gesture made Rouge giggle.

"Jeez, just leave her alone already, will you?" Charmy boasted.

"Charmy, shut up! What the heck do you think you saying? I'm trying to enchant the lady here!" Vector had slapped a hand over the boy's mouth, but Charmy quickly removed it.

"What're _you _saying, then? What're you, hitting on her or something?—Gyah!"

"Will you shut up?" Then, he and Charmy began to wrestle.

"May I see the disc?" Espio asked politely, completely ignoring his two coworkers' fighting.

Rouge nodded and handed the disc to him.

* * *

><p>While Vector and Charmy continued to tussle, Espio and Rouge were reading through one of the Project: Shadow files.<p>

"So, this is who we're after?" Espio pointed out after viewing a photo of Shadow. "Are there any other specific details of why we need to pursue him?"

Rouge took the cursor and guided it to a logo with a currency symbol on it and clicked on it. From there, she went on.

"Shadow the Hedgehog has been wanted for half a century, and with every year that passed, the reward raised. And now, it's up to fifty billion dollars."

"Fifty _billion?"_ Espio hissed.

Vector and Charmy paused from their quarreling. "Who said something about money?" Vector spat out the question; Charmy blinked.

"What properties give him such worth?" Espio asked with awe in his voice.

Rouge then scrolled down the page as she explained. "The GUN Federal Forces and the GUN Rebellion have been in some kind of race to find him ever since their split over the failure to seize Shadow fifty years prior. Each side holds such a huge grudge against the other, and the GUN Rebellion is willing to overrule the Federal Forces for supremacy over the Nation." There seemed to be a sad disposition in her voice. "And now, they believe that control over Shadow would equal control over the Nation…or maybe even the Earth."

Tears began to rise into Rouge's eyes. 'And I'm scared…'

"Why is that?"

"This is why." Just below the reward message was a military footnote. It read:

"RISK RATING: **S** (Supreme)."

"This ranking is the highest on the criminal grade scale; a ranking so high that it would involve _any_ and _every_ country's armed forces to capture him…and I don't want that. And what's even worse is that the GUN Rebellion has him now." She began to feel herself about to cry. She clenched her fists. "I don't want him with them. I don't want him with anyone! I want to save him, I _have _to save him before it's too late!"

Espio's bright yellow eyes looked at her, regarding her fear and trembling fists. 'Miss Rouge…'

"Ah, don't worry, Baby Cakes," Vector encouraged her, quite gallantly.

Espio's face deadpanned. He had been snubbed somewhat, and thus tuned out.

"We'll be glad to help you! So, if we find this Shadow person, we'll get paid?" Vector was rubbing his hands greedily.

"Yeah, and I'm going to need all the help I can get," Rouge responded.

Vector pumped his fist. "Hah hah, all right!"

"Yay, another mission!" Charmy praised, buzzing around in the air.

"It's not going to be that easy, you guys," Rouge had to add. "We're talking about an entire military force, here. We're going to need more than just us. We'll need Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Tails…and maybe the President's help…"

'Even though he's betrayed me,' she thought crucially to herself. She frowned at the thought.

"Well, it's official, Chaotix," Vector announced. "Miss Rouge here needs our help. Well, she's got it!"

"Yeah!" Charmy exclaimed. "Mission time! Let's go!"

Rouge gently approached Espio and said, "Thank you…Detective," with gratitude, winking.

The gesture made the chameleon flush redder than before. He quietly recomposed himself, and kindly quirked a smile.

FINAL FORTRESS—3:08

"Data File: Number 2396a; File Alias: Project: Shadow… Subject: Number 5207; Subject Alias: Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow was still being held captive within the spherical capsule, still comatose. His injuries were still healing, while GUNR technicians began fabricating another creation in a different lab. Agents Eighty-Nine, Ninety, Ninety-Two, and Ninety-Three were there in the room with Shadow.

"Opening File Number 2396b," Ninety-Three relayed from the interface screen aside from the stasis bubble. "Description File: Height, 110 cm. Weight, 36.7 kg. Species, genetically modified anthropomorphic hedgehog with black fur, crimson streaks on forearms, calves, and angled quills on cranium, crimson irises, tanned muzzle, white chest fur. Abilities, can perform Chaos Energy-based attacks—as reported: Chaos Spear, Chaos Barrage, Chaos Eruption, Chaos Blast. Weapons, none. Risk Rating, **S**."

Agent Eighty-Nine stood with his arms crossed over his chest as Ninety-Three read. Ninety blinked; Ninety-Two mimicked Eighty-Nine, with a deep scowl creasing his mahogany visage, green eyes glaring.

"Well, that's his description," finished Ninety-Three. He stood away from the interface console to face the rest of his comrades. "You got all that, professor?" Ninety-Three asked, placing a fist on his hip.

The ivory-toned, dark-haired young man seemed a few inches shorter than Number Ninety-Three. He approached him and presented him with a digital clipboard.

"Sir, all of the information has been recorded and updated," reported the male scientist, saluting.

"Excellent. Report it to the higher-ups. You are dismissed."

The male professor saluted again. "Sir!" He then exited.

Almost at the exact same moment did the Second Lieutenant General enter. He stood slightly taller than his underclass agent, Ninety-Three, with darkest brown, lengthy hair and somber burgundy eyes softly gazing through his gunmetal-tinted glasses. The Second Lieutenant General's attire consisted of a long, dark-crimson, leather jacket with black, woven sleeves. Underneath, he wore a casual uniform, a black shirt and the native burgundy and black pants. Strapped to his hip was a sub-machine gun, along with a semiautomatic pistol hidden within the inside of his jacket.

Eighty-Nine, Ninety, Ninety-Two, and Ninety-Three raced into a single-file line and saluted. "Sir!" they addressed in unison.

The Lieutenant General seemed to be smirking at Ninety-Three. "Glad to see you so focused," he spoke. He tilted his glasses onto his nose. "Little Brother."

"Nice to see you, too, sir," Ninety-Three greeted shyly.

"Such respect. I see you've grown a little, Rowan."

Ninety-Three blinked rapidly, his mouth awry. "Caiden, not here…and we're only _half _brothers."

"Aha, your name is _Rowan?"_ Ninety blurted hilariously and broke out laughing. Eighty-Nine and Ninety-Two also stifled a snicker.

A pulse point at Ninety-Three's temple throbbed. "Why don't you shut up, _Robert?"_

Ninety instantly stopped laughing. "Ah! Hey!"

His crooked smile twitching, Ninety-Three felt a silent hand press onto his shoulder. He looked back to see his half brother staring down at Shadow.

"We meet again," Ninety-Seven whispered. "Ultimate Life."

Shadow rested there, still curled up, in the stasis bubble, not yet aware of his surroundings. His countenance was innocent, and he looked harmless.

And that made Ninety-Seven frown unsurely.

"Rowan, are you absolutely sure this is the **S**-ranked danger that has threatened the very survival of the human race?" the Lieutenant General asked.

"Do you see any other genetically-enhanced anthropomorphic creatures racing around, destroying whatever's in their path?"

"No, but it's just that…he…?"

"Trust me, Caiden. He is _not_ harmless. He killed Eighty-Six, Eighty-Seven, _and _Eighty-Eight without even trying. He's a force to reckon with. Trust me on this one, Caiden."

They both gazed down at Shadow once more, observing a certain ethereal sense about him. They both grimaced.

"Just trust me."

Number Ninety-Seven was still unsure.

"Lieutenant General Ninety-Seven sir," a technician called, approaching him. He removed his protective goggles from his eyes and cleared his throat. "The nanocrystalline serum has been withdrawn by syringe and the neural-kinetic nodes have been created. May we commence the procedure?"

Agent Ninety-Three looked up at his older half brother.

Ninety-Seven sighed. "Yes, you may," he replied.

The technician then saluted and ran over to the console to open Shadow's containment bubble. Slowly did the dome recede, like water, but Shadow did not wake up from the noise around him. Once the dome was completely open, Agents Eighty-Nine and Ninety stepped over to retrieve him. The two went in and disconnected everything from him.

A couple more technicians, one male and the other female, raced in with a gurney. Gently, the two agents placed Shadow on top of the gurney. They both gazed as the two techs blanketed the comatose hedgehog and led him to the Operating Room.

Number Ninety-Seven sternly frowned.

FINAL FORTRESS—45 MINUTES LATER…

"The procedure is complete."

The surgery took away most of the hour to complete. The main focus of it all was to successful implant the nodes, by injecting the nanocrystalline serum into Shadow's bloodstream and surgically connecting the corresponding apparatus into Shadow's spinal cord at the back of his neck. The plan was plotted out carefully: If the surgery had gone before the vaccination, the nanocrystals would glitch and short-circuit, and have a sort of "Taser Shock" reaction in Shadow's body.

Meanwhile, no sedatives were needed. Shadow had been asleep the entire time.

"It was a complete success, Madam General," The head technician, Number Eighty-Five, saluted, smiling.

The Madam General, Number Ninety-Nine, returned his smile with a half-hearted smirk. Her cerulean eyes sparkled mischievously. "Good," she purred. "May we see him?"

Eighty-Five nodded. "Yes, you may, Madam." He signaled her and the other two Lieutenant Generals to accompany him. He led them down the corridor into another sector in the Final Fortress.

Exiting through the gates, under each red fluorescent light, Number Eighty-Five's glasses gleamed as he passed. His fine black hair shined sleekly; his wide eyes of hunter-green shimmered keenly behind his glasses. Madam General Ninety-Nine followed closely after him, arms crossed. The Second Lieutenant General, Number Ninety-Seven, followed closely at his other shoulder, his head down low where shadows could mingle with the reflected light of his glasses. As for the First Lieutenant General, Number Ninety-Eight, he followed them last, hands clasped behind his head. His bright, green eyes daydreamed as his truly orange hair was banded into a short ponytail.

"I honestly don't see why you're all so worked up about this whole 'Ultimate Life Form' thing," he spoke in a nonchalant tone.

Ninety-Nine glanced back at him. "Don't worry, you'll see…"

Right after, they all approached a pair of doors, which slid open automatically. Before them was the still dormant Shadow, wrapped in chains. His wrists were chained heavily to the floor, as well as his legs where he knelt. Another chain was holding up his head by a metal collar.

First Lieutenant General Ninety-Eight blinked curiously. "So, this is it, eh?" he realized. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," General Ninety-Nine reassured him, smirking.

She paced over and lowered herself, kneeling before the dormant hedgehog, and smirked. Her hand slithered under Shadow's chin and lifted it, until his face met hers.

"Now, Shadow," her voice purred, almost like someone else's. Something attached to the top of her breastbone steadily beamed a brilliant yellow. "Awaken."

Shadow gradually drifted into consciousness and came to, only through blurred vision. He looked up at the General and caught a glimpse of familiarity in her face.

"Miss…Laura?" he moaned hesitantly.

"Yes, Shadow. It's me… Mother."

"M-Mother…?" Tears slithered down his face, as the deceptive voice gladdened him. His sight became less fogged, and he was happy about the likeness in the face he saw. "Mother…"

She smiled. 'He's so much like a pathetic child,' she thought nastily. 'He's completely naïve of what's really happening. He really believes I'm that treacherous woman from fifty years ago…! Good.'

"Shadow, I need you to help me."

Shadow blinked, only for his hazed eyesight to not change. "Help?"

"Yes. I need you to wreak vengeance upon the Earth by annihilating every single human life that exists."

Shadow locked into place, paralyzed suddenly.

"All humans have done was bring suffering upon everything and themselves…and you. They are the ones who took everything that mattered to you away, weren't they?"

The nodal device connected to her breastbone flickered before shining a bright orange.

Shadow's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking tighter than before. He felt a spark in his mind beginning to flicker. His memories flashed before his eyes. They were moving so fast, it was as if they were burning.

Ninety-Nine released his jaw and stepped away from him, allowing her manipulation to take over.

Shadow's heart was racing. The nanocrystals in his blood were sending nervous signals to Shadow's brain for his heart to pump faster, making it think that Shadow was in panic mode. He instinctively tried to free himself from the chains that bound him, only for it to be in vain. The collar around his neck nearly choked him, he was tugging so hard. His mind had been thrown into an abysmal nightmare, reliving the memories that he, ever so, wanted to disappear.

Ninety-Nine could see obvious signs of anguish. She smirked.

"You'll always be my little angel, Shadow…!"

Her plan was working, and the node's light flickered once again before flashing a dangerous red.

Shadow screamed, feeling his memories burning away. He didn't want to lose those precious moments of Laura. They were all he had of her, and he could feel them being forcefully stripped away.

Then, his body fell still. His struggle against the heavy chains stopped, as well as the burning visions of his brutal past. His moan was soft and woeful.

"Yes…as my little angel of darkness, death, and destruction." She snickered heavily.

Ninety-Nine slowly turned and clacked her heels against the steel flooring, swaggering haughtily out of the chamber. The other three GUNR officers looked to each other questioningly, before leaving after her. Ninety-Seven gave one last somber look to Shadow before the reinforced doors slid shut.

Ninety-Nine grinned impishly. 'Soon the world will end! I, its destroyer!'

Shadow was left alone, with no sense of awareness, of his environment, or of the memories of his past.

**Segment Ten Completed.**


	11. Segment Eleven: A Desperate Search

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Eleven — A Desperate Search**

BACK IN MYSTIC RUINS—3:20

"I can't believe Shadow's been taken!"

Tails ruffled his hair angrily. Then, he threw his head against the breakfast table, shuddering from the intense blow. "Oww…" he moaned, rubbing his forehead.

"That's what happens when you stress too much," Sonic advised.

Tails moaned again. "How can this be? Ooh, I'm so mad at myself! We could've done something to save him! If only I had known…!"

"Hey, it's not your fault, Tails," Amy added to Sonic's previous comment. "It was reported just this morning. I'm sure Shadow's all right…wherever he is."

"Don't worry, Tails," Cream added, innocently encouraging him. She smiled. "We'll find Mister Shadow _and _get him back—!"

"No, you guys don't understand the gravity of all this!" Tails slammed his palms against the table; the girls flinched. "As much as I hate to say it, Shadow is a dangerous weapon, and we were the only ones that could have protected him! Now that he's missing, there's no telling _who__'__s_ got him and _what_they're going to do with him!"

The girls remained silent.

"Both of my workshops have been compromised, so there's no way to track down info about Shadow anymore…! I should have been able to commit it to memory, or at least downloaded it onto a jump drive…"

Amy and Cream looked at each other apprehensively.

"Good thing I have a third lab here in a hidden location of Mystic Ruins, one that's easily overlooked. Here, I can only tune up the Sonic Monsoon, so no database access here. My bad…" Tails scratched the back of his head. "This is only a 'last resort' workshop, so…yeah."

"I see," Amy guessed, sipping her tea.

The waterfall outside roared loudly behind the hangar door, but the door itself was thick enough to curb the sound from entering the large room. The Sonic Monsoon waited there in that room, ready and awaiting Tails's command.

"All right, then! Mission time!" Sonic sounded determined. "Our mission: save Shadow."

"But we don't even know where he is, Sonic," Amy said.

Tails thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "I know! We can use the Chaos Energy Tracker that I just installed into the Sonic Monsoon. I installed it so we could track down the energy signatures of the Chaos Emeralds. The ones we already have can help us track down Shadow!"

"That's why you're a genius, Tails!" Sonic winked, his signature gesture. "Come on, let's go!"

Tails smiled, and he and the girls raced after Sonic's lead.

Knuckles the Echidna happened to be present at the time, too. He sat on top of the hangar roof. He was meditating. With the rumbling sounds of the water crashing against the rocks below, Knuckles was able to focus on his thoughts.

'Those soldiers that attacked us…?' he thought. 'They have something to do with this Shadow guy, I guess…but what?'

Four Chaos Emeralds came into sight like ghosts, circling around the echidna.

He smirked. 'Well, only one way to find out.'

Down below, Tails was seated in the Sonic Monsoon, reading off coordinates to where other Chaos Emeralds could possibly be within radius. The two Emeralds began to glow.

"Besides the ones Knuckles has, there seems to be another one…and it's moving," Tails notified. "It's heading straight for us, too!"

They all waited, watching the sky through the opening hangar door for any sign of motion. They all scanned the starry sky intricately, until they spotted a speckle of green light heading for them. They tensed up, the girls holding onto each other, anxiously eyeing the shadow draw nearer and nearer. Tails aimed his laser guns at the silhouette.

"Hey, wait!" it cried nervously. "I'm an ally!" It left the darkness and landed under the runway lights.

It was Rouge.

"Oh! It's Rouge!" Tails exclaimed.

Right then, Knuckles's eyes flew open.

"Hey, Knuckles! Knuckles, wake up," Sonic called up to the roof. "Rouge is here!"

Knuckles strode over to the edge of the roof and looked down. He blinked a little.

"Guys, please, I need your help," Rouge began frantically. "It's Shadow…! He's been captured by the GUN Rebellion forces!"

"What?" Sonic exclaimed in shock.

The girls gasped.

Knuckles was leaping down from off the roof, when Tails asked, "Do you know where they've taken him?"

"No…" Tears started to well up in Rouge's eyes. "And it's all my fault…" She quickly hid her sobbing behind her hands, but the others could still her cries. "I only have less than three hours to fulfill my mission, or else…"

Amy and Cream whimpered.

"Please, don't cry," Cream said, approaching her while holding Cheese close to her. "Chao-chao…" Cheese cooed sadly.

"Yeah, we'll help you find him," Amy cheerfully added.

"Hopefully, we _will _find him," Tails added on to Amy's last statement, resetting the coordinates for Shadow's Chaos Energy signature. Instantly, the Sonic Monsoon's tracking device indicated the Chaos Energy source. "I've tracked down a faint trace of Shadow's Energy signature due four hundred and fifty-one kilometers southeast. Let's—!"

_"__Wait!__"_

An unknown voice had cried out; though it seemed quite familiar to Rouge. She turned to see that the Chaotix had followed her. It was Vector who'd called for the abrupt halt.

"Wait," he panted, catching his breath.

Charmy and Espio trudged behind him. Charmy couldn't go any further, so he plopped down on the floor, enjoying the coolness of the metal. Espio wasn't tired exactly, so he caught his breath briefly before recomposing himself.

"Hold on, we're coming too," insisted Vector.

Sonic crept behind both Rouge and Knuckles and asked, "Who are these guys?"

Knuckles just glanced back at him, disturbed. "Let's just say I don't know them." He then pointed at Rouge.

"Hey there, Doll Face!" Vector quickly took a kneel before her. "Or should I say, Miss Rouge?" He kissed her hand politely. Knuckles rolled his eyes at him.

"Allow us, if you will, to take part in your mission," Espio offered, stepping beside Vector, who was still kissing Rouge's hand. He grimaced, clearly annoyed.

**WHAP!**

"Oww!" Vector shrieked. "What the heck did _I_ do?"

"I believe you're _overly _obliging the lady," was Espio's suave remark.

Rouge giggled.

"Well, you didn't have to—say, what _did _you hit me with, anyways?"

"Let's just keep that as my little secret…" The chameleon's suave voice left Vector in total suspense, completely unknowing that behind Espio's back was a wrench.

"Well, if you guys are coming, then hurry up," Tails warned them. "Rouge said we had less than three hours before…well…" He eyed Rouge then, feeling a bout of slight guilt. "Before her mission terminates, so come on!"

Sonic sprang up to his usual spot on the Monsoon's wing, with Knuckles directly across from him on the other wing. Tails and Amy occupied the first two-seated pilots' unit, while Cream and Charmy had the second, and Espio and Vector were adjacent to their cockpit. Rouge crouched next to Tails and Amy's cockpit.

Tails was revved up and ready to go. "Let's go!"

The Sonic Monsoon took flight through the opening waterfall, sharply banked out of the gorge, and soared southeast.

And Rouge prayed that nothing would happen to Shadow.

EN ROUTE TO FINAL FORTRESS—3:46

"We're now thirty-seven kilometers from the target," Tails announced.

Sonic and Knuckles nodded. Espio and Vector braced themselves closer to the aerial craft. Rouge frowned a little.

Further ahead, an island came into view. On it ascended a structure that seemed to have a hexagonal shape, with towers at each corner of a cylindrical shape. At the top of each tower, scarlet lights flashed in the early morning sky.

Tails's radar suddenly began to blink frantically. "Uh-oh! Sonic, Knuckles! We seem to have tripped some kind of silent alarm," Tails reported to them. "A fleet of aerial drones has been deployed, and it's heading straight for us!"

"No problem!" Sonic and Knuckles said together.

They peered farther ahead. Even from that far away, they could see the large GUN Rebellion insignia on the front of the ships.

"They're…GUN Rebellion drones," Sonic indicated softly.

The ships rocketed toward them at high speeds.

Tails gasped.

"Let _me _handle them," Rouge insisted. She allowed the furious wind to take her into the air and caught up to Tails's cockpit. Sonic eyed her curiously, seemingly about to protest. She looked at him and winked, before advancing forward.

Sonic watched her go. 'Sometimes I never understand her,' he thought hopelessly to himself. 'Well, she can handle herself.'

Sonic smirked.

Rouge sliced through the wind, speeding toward the flock of drones. Just knowing that they were of GUN Rebellion origin infuriated her.

They were her enemy, now.

'I'll make them pay for what they've done,' she thought vengefully. 'I will get Shadow back…!'

Vehemence blared. "No one is getting in my way!"

The GUN drones locked their targeting mechanisms on Rouge, whom fueled with fury, sped through the twilight morning air. They fired their arsenals of lasers.

Rouge was able to dodge all of the preemptive strikes and sharply spiraled into a tight corkscrew spin and generated a black cyclone as she darted past. She sliced one side of the fleet into halves and destroyed over a dozen drones. She had also created a clearing for the Sonic Monsoon to pass through.

"Wow…!" Tails whispered breathlessly.

Everyone blinked.

"Heh, didn't know she had it in her," Sonic added, scratching the back of his head.

"That doesn't bring us out of the clear just yet," Tails forewarned. "There are more on the way!"

"Don't worry. We can handle them!" Sonic smirked and gave Tails a thumbs up; Tails did the same.

"Oh, be careful, Sonic," Amy wailed to her idol, pressing her hands against the glass. "If you die, I'll never forgive you!"

"Chill, Amy," Sonic said casually, shrugging. "What's the worst that could happen?" He stood and saluted playfully. "See you!" Sonic then dashed out, leapt from the wing, and sped into his trademark Spin-Dash and impaled six drones in a row.

While Sonic and Rouge took care of mobile defenses, Tails attempted to penetrate the fortress itself. He maneuvered into firing range, but stationary defenses of the fortress were activated and quickly taking aim.

'Another silent alarm,' the fox child thought, trying to avoid the laser fire. "Knuckles, I need your help! Do you think you can penetrate that wall?"

"Sure," replied the echidna, cracking his knuckles.

"All right!"

The eight-year-old master pilot banked closer to the safeguarded wall.

Keeping a steady hand, Tails cried, "Knuckles, jump!"

Knuckles leapt off the wing. He fell, fast enough to avoid laser gunfire, while diving in closer to the wall. He threw a heavy punch into the wall, one that was big enough for an average-sized human to pass through. He couldn't stop himself from falling, though, but the Sonic Monsoon was soon there to retrieve him.

"Awesome!" Tails cheered. "Nice job, Knuckles!"

Knuckles nodded to him.

He navigated with swift dexterity of the controls, dodging erratic laser fire.

"Knuckles, help Sonic and Rouge out!" Tails was free from assault for a moment when the idea clicked in his mind.

"Gotcha!" Knuckles agreed.

Tails surveyed the aerial battlefield, seeing that some of the fleets had been taken care of, but Rouge and Sonic were being overwhelmed. Tails furrowed his brows before maneuvering toward a GUNR ship, after a battalion of missiles was discovered following his every move. Tails was able to drop Knuckles off on the ship, before maneuvering away.

"Hang on, you guys!"

Tails shifted into a barrel roll down through the fleet of drone ships, where the guidance missiles were locked on him. A myriad of explosions brightened the area with several flashes. Tails also managed to catch Knuckles and Sonic as well.

"Sonic, Knuckles, you guys okay?" Tails asked.

"Heh!" came Knuckles's casual remark.

"Never better," Sonic answered nonchalantly. "Where's Rouge?"

Everyone then looked around for her. Espio had just pitched an arsenal of explosive _shuriken _toward a group of missile launchers, destroying them. He soon spotted Rouge swoop into the rift in the wall.

"There," he beckoned, pointing.

Vector followed the direction of his partner's finger and saw the rift. "She's already inside!" He whined. "Quick! Follow her!"

Tails swerved and moved in on the crevice that had been made. Both of the cockpits' domes retracted to let Amy, Cream and Cheese, and Charmy out. Sonic, Knuckles, Espio, and Vector hopped down from the Sonic Monsoon onto the metal floor.

Cream turned around to see Tails. "Be careful, Tails," Cream said, sounding extremely anxious. She held Cheese closer to her. Cheese cooed sadly, "Chao-chao…"

Tails only smiled. "Don't worry, Cream, I will. I promise. You guys be careful, too."

"Don't worry, we'll all be fine," Sonic insisted, assuring the young pilot. "See you!"

With that, he dashed down the hallway with Knuckles, the Chaotix, and Cream latched onto Amy's hand. Cream looked back and watched Tails leave.

"Chao-chao," prattled Cheese. Cream composed herself, sighing, and followed Amy's lead.

* * *

><p>Rouge was further inside the Final Fortress than her comrades. She kept an eye on her surroundings. Carefully, she scanned the area. She could sense no danger at the moment, but she did keep a sharp mind out. She pulled out the green Chaos Emerald that she had and blinked.<p>

'I guess it's safe to pull it out here.'

Its glow was bright enough to illuminate the immediate area around her. She tested the other three directions she could follow, and saw which one was reacting the most: it happened to be the northeast corridor. Yet, before she could move on, she heard the sudden firing of a laser. It nicked the floor just behind her boot heel. She looked behind her and saw a swarm of Mecha-Hornets encircle her from within the shadows. The only signs that gave them away were their beaming red optic lenses.

Rouge may have been surrounded, but that didn't mean she was helpless. It didn't mean that at all.

"Tell your boss I demand Shadow back," ordered Rouge.

The drones did not acknowledge her smug command, so the rest of them armed themselves with their laser shooters.

Rouge only chuckled slyly. "All right, then, let's play…!"

At the exact moment the laser fire started to bombard her, Rouge swiftly took flight, ready for combat. She navigated herself toward a Mecha-Hornet, and even under that light, she could see the GUN Rebellion insignia on it. She homed in on it, descending fast. She was preparing to attack.

'Shadow…!'

As she accelerated, she cried out, _"__Shadow!__"_

She spiraled again into her attack and speared through the aerial drone, but this attack was different: instead of spearing just one, she was able to redirect her attack to strike the others. Before they could even defend themselves, the mecha drones had all been skewered. They exploded in rapid succession.

Rouge shifted back into normal flight and flew into the northeast corridor. The sliding doors opened and closed behind her as she padded onto the metallic floor and slammed her fist against the "Emergency Close" button. She rested her body against the wall, huffing for breath.

"Well," she said. "Never thought I'd try that before…?" She held the Chaos Emerald up. It was still glowing brightly. She furrowed her brows at it.

Soon, she noticed a small electrical unit next to her. She lifted the hatch and gasped.

'A security panel!' She seemed elated. Then, she smirked, typing in commands for the program to follow. 'Disabling defense protocols…!'

From where she was, Rouge was able to hear the deactivation of the stationary defense weaponry, the laser gunfire ceasing, and hopefully relieving Tails quite a bit.

"Good," Rouge said proudly. 'Good luck, Tails.'

She sprang into a sprint down the dimly lit, crimson hallway.

* * *

><p>"So, um…where do we go now?" Sonic asked.<p>

After they all found their way to the third level of the Fortress, the group was kind of lost. They were at the southern tip of the fortress, where several corridors cross-hatched the third level. The two main halls led northeast and northwest. Sonic and Knuckles feared that the halls would be too heavily secured, and the sentries would be too overwhelming for the girls to handle. They both contemplated for a moment, deciding on where whom should go.

"I've got it," Sonic said with a snap of his fingers. "Knuckles, you'll stay with the girls heading for the north hall while I speed down the left one. Chaotix, you guys can take the right hall…" Then smugly, "Can't you?"

"Of course, we can!" Vector exclaimed a little obnoxiously. "You can count on us! Charmy, Espio, let's roll!" As they raced away, Vector cried back to Sonic, "Bet you we'll find Rouge before _you _do!"

Sonic just blankly watched the detective agents vanish up the corridor with his smirk upturning his lips halfway. He shrugged it off, though.

"Well, I guess we should get—!" To his surprise, Knuckles had already fled toward the northwest corridor. Sonic finished, drawling, "Go…ing…?" A vein throbbed at his temple, his ears flattening against his head.

"Well, that means you're with _me_, Sonic!" Amy cried happily. She ran over and hugged her idol vigorously. "Destiny has finally brought us together! Oh, Sonic! I'll never let you out of my arms!"

"You know, you might have to…because I can't breathe…!" Sonic felt himself falling limp, his cheeks flushing blue from the lack of oxygen.

Amy yelped, dropping her blue hero, who laid crippled, his leg twitching.

"Oww…" he muttered plainly.

Cream giggled, along with Cheese.

Quickly regaining composure, he leapt to his feet and cleared his throat. He stepped in front of the entry leading into the north corridor. "So, you ready, girls?"

Amy flashed out her ever-dangerous Piko-Piko Hammer, ready to swing it. "Ready as I'll ever be!"

"Me, too!" Cream hopped happily. "Chao chao!" Cheese cooed excitedly.

"All right, then, let's go!"

Thus, Sonic and the girls dashed down the corridor in search of Shadow.

* * *

><p>Knuckles ambled through the considerably dark corridor. Only dim, red fluorescent lights shined away the darkness ahead. So far, the hallway seemed quiet and desolate of guard sentries. It was all very silent. Knuckles frowned a little, his eyes shining from the crimson light.<p>

"Something's wrong," Knuckles said to himself. "This is way too simple. No guards—at all?" He stopped, detecting a sound coming from behind. He sharply threw his sights behind him. 'Or maybe…!'

Then, the sound of a charging laser cannon.

"Guess I spoke too soon…!" He dodged the laser fire, somersaulting away from the most accurate line of fire. "Oh, you want to go?"

A horde of the robotic sentries locked on to Knuckles and were ready to fire another round of laser shots.

Knuckles smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Heh! Well, come on, let's go!"

The sentries fired, but Knuckles pounded his fist into the metal floor. The layer of flooring that rose was able to protect him from the laser fire pelting the metal. While Knuckles was hiding there, three other mecha sentries jetted toward Knuckles and split up. Two dodged the metal covering, and the last one rocketed over it. All three of them fired again.

Knuckles swerved in and out of laser crossfire. As he got closer to one of the ground-level enemies, he scored direct hits to the sentries' metallic thorax. As the sentries fizzled and crackled of sparks, he headed elsewhere toward another small group of mecha.

That squadron fired their laser guns at the incoming Knuckles, but he avoided getting hit directly; one of the assault beams did sear his arm, though. But Knuckles was able to tolerate it and ignore it, as he threw his fist into the mecha's optic lens.

The one in the air and the two soaring toward him were the only ones left. Knuckles had barely enough time to dodge, so instead of dodging he punched the incoming mech while it was still hovering and threw it into the aerial mech. Both mecha crashed and burned, while the last one was swerving back toward Knuckles.

But Knuckles was able to punch another hole in the metal floor, and this time there was a sharp metal rod that rose from the opening, and it skewered the last guard mech before it had its chance to attack. Its clenched fist was a little ways away from the echidna's head. As it sparked, Knuckles slowly backed away from it and panted.

The crimson echidna heedfully lowered himself to a kneel and sighed. He caressed his arm gently, trying to soothe it. 'Well, then,' he thought. 'As long as they've been beaten.'

* * *

><p>"All right, boys, listen up."<p>

The Chaotix had successfully reached the end of the corridor in the eastern wing of the Fortress. They had reached the northeastern turret, Sector Number 5. With proper camouflage and diversionary tactics, Espio was able to lead his comrades along the third floor.

Now, it was Vector's turn.

"We're going to have to be completely silent, so we can get passed the heavy duty." Vector pointed behind him with his thumb.

Espio and Charmy listened intently to Vector's plan.

"As silent as we can be. So, Espio, you'd be perfect for this job. Do you think you can take out those sentries without getting noticed?"

Espio nodded assuredly. "I live as a silent killer," the sleek chameleon purred slyly. He stood from the crouched huddle and checked for a clearing: robotic and human sentries lined the thatched corridors. He veered his eyes around the corner. He blinked and formed a hand sign. Fading into his surroundings, Espio pulled out a _kunai._

"Virtually invisible," Vector smirked the comment. He and Charmy gave him their accustomed thumbs-up and wink.

Espio then crept past and stood in the middle of the intersecting hallways, still undetected. He wielded his weapon, hidden from sight, as he stealthily crept along the metallic floor. So far, things were going according to Vector's plan; until Espio spotted a human guard sharply face his partner.

"The silent alarm's been tripped," he said urgently.

"Which one?" the co-officer asked.

'There's more than one?' Espio thought to himself quite crucially. 'Ever so obvious…' He pitched his _kunai _sharply towards a hallway corner; its distinctive clang echoed against the metal paneling.

The two human guards shot their sights back at the _kunai. _"There!"

The two officers raced over to see the kunai sticking in the wall. They were inspecting it. The knife had a flashing red light on its hilt, which flickered rapidly, as if a countdown were proceeding.

"What the—! A bomb—! Ah!" The two sentries had no chance to escape and were caught in the explosion. It signaled more guards to mobilize, and three more human sentries, as well as mecha, appeared.

The first officer hastily flipped down his infrared goggles, only to see that the assailant was missing. "Where did you go…?" he said to himself. He scanned ahead, and a fist came flying towards his face. The guard buckled, holding his bleeding nose. "Ah!" He was knocked out by double-fisted club to the back of his neck; Vector grinned arrogantly.

"Aw, yeah!" he said, flexing his biceps. "Who's the man?"

Espio stood there and smacked the side of his forehead in embarrassment. 'Please, tell me he did not just do that…'

"Eh-heh, not you…" Charmy answered sarcastically.

"Bah, I'm going to get you, Charmy!"

"Perhaps another time, gentlemen," cued in Espio, fending off one of the human guards. He made a direct slash to the guard's abdomen and kicked him aside. "We need to focus on the mission."

"All right, all right! And then I'll get you, you little—!"

"Vector!" Espio warned. "Look out!"

Suddenly, three mechanized sentries obstructed the corridor. They all armed themselves with destructive laser rifles and aimed directly at the Chaotix detectives. Espio crept closer to Vector and Charmy, the three of them huddling together.

Vector then cackled. "All right, boys! Time to have some real fun!"

Young Charmy Bee pumped his little fists, ready to fight. Espio readily armed himself with fingers' worth of _shuriken, _glowering at the sentries. Vector cracked his knuckles, ready to pulverize their enemies into chips of metal.

He smirked slyly; then exclaimed, "Let's go, boys!"

Charmy soared first toward one sentry, while Vector charged at another. Espio flashed his arsenal of _shuriken _towards the enemy group.

* * *

><p>Sonic, Amy, and Cream and Cheese halted midway of the hall after they heard three loud sounds in three different directions.<p>

"What were those, Sonic?" Any asked Sonic. Cream stayed close to Amy, her Chao, Cheese, floating beside her.

Sonic grimaced suspiciously. He scanned all three sources of the noises.

"Explosions," he replied. "And the closest one came from that way." He pointed to the hallway across from them—another one of the cross-hatched hallways that weaved the third level. "I'll head that way and look. You two continue down the corridor without me."

"But Sonic—!" Amy cried.

"Be careful!" With that, he sped off as a blue ribbon of light.

Amy and Cream stood, bewildered for a moment. Cream held close to Amy and trembled.

"I don't want us to go by ourselves…" Cream sounded afraid.

"Don't worry, Cream," Amy insisted. "We'll be fine."

She then carefully led Cream behind her cautious lead, holding her hand as a comforting gesture.

* * *

><p>Sonic sped through the hall at a blazing speed. Even though he was unaware, he flew through all the infrared silent alarms throughout the hallway. The guards on watch, and even the mechanical sentries, did not see him dart past and thought they were false alarms.<p>

Sonic reached the end of the passage and stopped, not at all breathless.

"Heh heh!" he snickered, rubbing under his nose. "Too easy!"

He then looked around in astonishment. "What? No welcoming committee?" He searched around, taking a few steps. "Hmm… Looks like it's been taken care of already." He spotted a mech that had been skewered by a jaggedly pointed metal rod. He stepped around it, and found Knuckles resting against the wall.

"Knuckles!"

Knuckles lifted his head up and saw Sonic heading toward him. He smirked.

"A little help, please?" Knuckles asked, pointing to the laser burns he had received from the guard mecha.

Sonic smirked, glad that Knuckles was all right. "Sure," he said, nodding.

Sonic helped Knuckles to his feet.

"You sure you're okay?" Sonic asked, letting the echidna stand freely.

Knuckles nodded reassuringly. "Yeah. Let's hurry, though."

So, the two of them nodded to each other and took off up the corridor as quickly as possible. Sonic was mindful not to speed too far ahead of Knuckles.

He grimaced a little. 'Tails was right. We've got to find Shadow, fast…before a tragedy occurs.'

**Segment Eleven Completed.**


	12. Segment Twelve: The Mysterious Client

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Twelve — The Mysterious Client**

CENTRAL CITY—4:50

Central City's downtown shopping district was teeming with police, fire trucks, ambulances, and news crew vans. While news anchors on the scene gave their reports, police officers had taped off the area where Shadow and the GUN forces had fought. They analyzed the ruins of the GUNFF helicopter that had crashed, and even the remains of the three enemy Assault Mecha Shadow had destroyed. The city blocks Shadow had also destroyed were being investigated by more local detectives and police.

A press investigator scanned over the indented concrete of a radius of about eighty meters. Everything within that radius was gone, and other structures outside of it were plainly visible. The investigator lifted an eyebrow.

"Whoever did this had tremendous power," said the detective, explaining to the police officer next to him.

"Yeah, it's been explained by a surviving eyewitness that this was caused by a 'black hedgehog'," the officer added.

He and the investigator solemnly looked over to see a small girl huddled next to a corpse buried under rubble from a collapsed building. She shivered feverishly, holding the corpse's hand. She had spoken with them, telling them that the person underneath the rubble was her mother. Medics wrapped her in a terry blanket and treated her wounds. The small girl's viridian eyes quivered with fear as a female paramedic held her comfortingly. The hand of the corpse was taken away from the girl tenderly.

"This is way out of our hands, you know," told the officer to the detective. "We need more answers."

"We need more evidence, more witnesses, but most of them were killed… brutally." He recalled all the messy bloodstains he had seen when he first arrived there. He frowned at the crater they were standing in. "We need the Chaotix Detectives."

"Who we _all_ need is the—!"

Before he could finish, the pair of men, as well as everyone else in the entire city, could hear sonic booms thundering high overhead. Everyone looked up at the sky.

"Look!" the little girl said, pointing up toward the sky. "Pretty ribbons…!"

"Those aren't ribbons, sweetie," the female paramedic corrected her. "Those are the Helios Rockets…!"

Following after them were dozens of recruiting aircraft, flooding into the bluish-black, early morning sky. Their "ribbon" lights flickered synchronic red, white, and blue in the sky.

They were indeed of Federal Forces origin.

The Helios Rockets and Aerial Hangars roared through the air in flocks, like migrating birds.

The paramedic embraced the girl. The young girl's curled, reddish-orange hair billowed in a helicopter's wind, for all other aircraft were ordered to immediately lower their altitude or land. Her green eyes sparkled with innocent concern as she held close to the female paramedic.

FINAL FORTRESS - CENTRAL CORRIDOR (LEVEL 3)

"Amy, I don't like being in the dark for very long," little Cream complained, clinging onto Amy's arm.

Amy smiled. "Don't worry, Cream. We'll be out of here soon."

The girls took their time down the fluorescent-lit corridor, taking precious caution. Amy looked around the path ahead, while Cream clung to her arm. Cheese was resting on top of Cream's head, looking around fearfully as well.

But lurking in the shadows behind them were twin scarlet orbs.

"I don't know, Amy… It's _really _dark here." Cream's large brown eyes veered behind her, and her body stiffened fearfully.

"Aw, come on, Cream," retorted Amy, halting their stroll. "You're a big girl now. You _can't _be afraid of the dark!"

The remark made Cream shiver, with Cheese trembling right alongside her. He turned around, seeing Amy obliviously walking toward another pair of shining orbs. "Chao-chao!" he cried frantically.

Cream also saw what Cheese was seeing. "Amy…?"

"Cream, why in the world would you so be afraid of the dark, anyway?"

"Chao chao!" Cheese prattled, taking cover behind Cream.

The little rabbit girl hesitantly raised a finger to point toward the two, shining, red dots. "That's why…!"

Amy blinked at her. As she turned around, the two red "eyes" sparkled brightly. Amy and Cream backed away, only to find the other pair of eyes getting closer. Just when their situation was bad, six more pairs of those same, stalking, red eyes appeared to encircle and overwhelm them.

"Amy!" Cream cried fearfully, tucking her head under her arms. "Chao-chao!" little Cheese panicked, doing the same.

Amy then armed herself with her trusty Piko-Piko Hammer, ready to fight. "Hey, you creeps! Nobody messes with my friends—or my _Sonic_—and gets away with it!" She then charged toward them at full speed.

After a few minutes of hammering and pulverizing, Amy defeated all eight sentry mecha by herself.

She giggled to herself. "That'll impress Sonic for sure!" She winked, sticking her tongue out playfully.

Little Cream uncovered her eyes, as did her Chao, coming out from behind her. They blinked. "Wow, Amy!" Cream was wowed by her strength. "You did it! You beat them all by yourself!"

"Aw, it was nothing, really—?"

"And you weren't scared?" Cream smiled sweetly.

Amy shrugged. "Why would I be scared?"

She took up Cream's hand and began to lead her up the hallway again.

"Come on, Cream. Let's leave before more come… and before you start freaking out again."

SECTOR NO. 6 / NORTH TOWER (LEVEL 3)—LATER…

"Well, we made it to the end of that creepy corridor," Amy said, relieved. She sighed thankfully.

"So, you _were_ scared, weren't you, Amy?" Cream teased. "You did speed up toward the end." Cheese giggled.

"Oh, rub it in, why don't you!" Amy remarked smartly. She roughly crossed her arms. "Hmph!"

Cream giggled, too.

"Amy! Cream and Cheese!"

Amy jumped, squeaking a little bit. Cream and Cheese swapped their sights around the room, looking for the source of the voice. When they couldn't find it, a shadow fell from above and landed behind them. Amy, clearly spooked, jumped again, striking an exaggerated pose. Only Cream and Cheese looked behind them and blinked. They beamed.

"Miss Rouge!" Cream cried happily. "Chao chao!" Cheese sounded relieved.

"Hey, you two… and Amy." She smirked slyly.

"What's the big idea, sneaking up from behind like that?" Amy was yelling in Rouge's face. "I could've had a heart attack!"

"Well, you didn't, now, did you?" Rouge was being rather blunt.

"Oh, you…! Hmph!" Amy pouted.

"There you are!" another voice cried, coming from one of the corridors. Vector came running, with Charmy in hot pursuit.

"Hey, there!" Vector came to a screeching halt upon seeing Rouge and knelt down to kiss her hand. Again. "Oh, how I've missed you, Rouge."

"Oh, please, don't flatter me," Rouge said nonchalantly. She looked away from him, her eye twitching a little. 'Again…?'

Vector stood and dusted himself off. "We were parted for quite a long time, my dear." A bit of light created a cool gleam that sparkled on Vector's teeth.

But Rouge wasn't impressed. "Yeah, like five minutes…"

"But now, we're all together again!" Charmy sounded happy, throwing his hands to the air. "Yay!"

"Well, most of us, anyways," Vector said, looking around. "Where's Sonic? Where's Knuckles? …Where's Espio?"

Breathlessness echoed into the room suddenly. It seemed to be coming from the new-coming Espio, exhausted and clinging to the wall.

"You two do realize…" he huffed. "That you ditched me… right?"

Both Vector and Charmy turned petrified stiff. Then, unfreezing, they both scratched the back of their heads. "Whoops. Sorry."

Espio growled. Recomposing himself, Espio sighed. He looked over to Rouge. "Are you all right, Miss Rouge?"

Rouge blinked. "Oh, yeah! I'm fine. No worries here!" She waved a dainty hand, giggling a little.

Espio nodded, feeling reassured.

Vector smirked. "See, Espio?" He threw his strong hand against Espio's back. "She can handle herself just fine!" His laugh was loud and obnoxious.

This peeved Espio even more. He stood, trying to be calm, grinding his fist with a vein at his temple pulsating rapidly.

**THWAP!**

"Gyah!" Vector yelped loudly, holding the back of his head. "What the—! What did you hit me with _this _time?"

"Oh, that's none of your concern, really…" Espio said through clenched teeth. Still leaving Vector in suspense with his mysterious tone, what Espio was keeping behind his back this time was a metal pipe.

"Will you stop that then?" Vector roared angrily.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold up!" an all-too-familiar voice rang out. Then, Sonic came stepping into the room, with Knuckles at his side. "Chill out, you guys. Save some of that strength for later!" He winked.

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy cried happily, clasping her hands together. She made a dash over to Sonic and threw her arms around him; Sonic chuckled.

"Knuckles!" Rouge then cried anxiously. She sprang over to Knuckles.

The rest of the group then followed to see if Knuckles was all right, seeing that he had fallen to a kneel. Sonic crouched next to Knuckles. Rouge knelt down next to Sonic, concern filling her face.

Knuckles grunted, clutching his arm.

"Are you okay?" Rouge asked worriedly.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Charmy asked.

"No, Charmy," Knuckles replied. "And yeah, I'm fine, Rouge. No worries."

Sonic blinked a little. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing much, just got nicked by laser fire, that's all. No big deal."

Sonic smirked a little. "Okay… If you say so, buddy."

"Here." Rouge presented a small white box to Sonic. She saw Sonic blink before taking the white box. There was a red plus sign on its lid.

"Treat him with that," Rouge advised, getting back up on her feet. "I'm going to check for any more security modules, so I can override the defense grid with a ceasefire protocol." She darted off toward the elevator.

Everyone watched her go.

But Sonic kept a pensive glower. 'Be careful, Rouge.'

Then, the group heard a glitch of static crackling, as if from—!

"The walkie-talkie!" Charmy yelled excitedly, throwing his tiny fists in the air.

"Charmy, will you _stop _that?" Vector yelled back to the boy. "You're starting to piss me off…!" He took out the communication device and everyone listened in.

"Chaotix, come in. This is your Client speaking. Pick up!"

"Oh!" Vector signaled back, "This is the Chaotix, here, over."

"Where are you?"

"Well, uh… I know this is going to sound weird, but we're on the third floor, Sector Number Six, in the Final Fortress…?" Vector shrugged.

"Good. I'll need you to rendezvous with me on the lowermost level. If you take the elevator all the way down, you'll all see big titanium doors. Go through them, and there, you will receive your payment."

Sonic frowned. 'Wait…?'

"Huh? Now, hold up! Wait just a—!"

"I'll be expecting you, Chaotix. Don't make me wait," the voice on the other end threatened. Then, the transmission ended, leaving them in utter silence.

"What the…?" Vector blinked rapidly. "That was weird. How the hell did _he _know to tell us where to go?"

"I think there's something more to your mysterious 'client', you guys," Sonic said suspiciously. He glared pensively at Espio; Espio nodded.

"Yes," Espio agreed. "We must practice extreme caution when we face this 'client' of ours. We don't know what their true identity is or what they're planning. Let us make sure that we do not fly into a trap."

"Good thinking, Espio!" Vector slapped his hand against his back quite hard. "There's a reason why you're the leader of such a prestigious team like ours!" He was laughing loudly again.

A sweat drop fell from everyone's temples.

Espio smacked his forehead. "Please, don't let us be discovered…" he whispered to himself.

* * *

><p>The "Client" smirked, placing the communicator down. "Phase Three has taken effect, Madam."<p>

"Excellent," Madam General Harris purred. "Let them come. All of them, unscathed. Then, the real fun will begin."

"Yes, Madam."

She smirked deviously, snickering. 'Yes, let them come. Let them come…'

* * *

><p>Rouge scoured the entire third floor, tripping most of the safety programs and defense mechanisms of Final Fortress manually. After Rouge had joined the GUN Rebellion, as a double agent, she had managed to have a request for a tour of the new facility approved. Using her recall as an advantage, Rouge went around to different electrical panels, overriding multiple firewalls to shut down the entire security infrastructure of the fortress. Her hacking skills were really coming in handy for her, and hopefully, Tails would be able to tell.<p>

She was tapping various codes in, with successive beeps following. Finally, there was one more. She typed in the final code.

"That should do it," Rouge said proudly.

She pressed one last key on the screen. The key turned red, indicating a successful override.

* * *

><p>The Sonic Monsoon swerved out of the firing range of the machine gun turrets. Tails had been fighting against the Fortress itself for far over one straight hour, trying to destroy every single turret. With only a few left, he made the decision to attack again.<p>

But then, they suddenly stopped firing.

Tails blinked. Then, he noticed that all of the armadas of the GUNR aircraft had been destroyed, and that more had stopped coming. He blinked again before frowning.

'Thanks, Rouge,' he thought, having the feeling that Rouge played a part in the weapons' ceasefire. 'But it's strange. Something doesn't feel right.'

Tails banked, spiraling into a barrel roll, heading back toward Final Fortress.

* * *

><p>"Can we even <em>trust <em>this 'Client' of ours at all?" Espio inquired.

"Bah, I don't know anymore, Espio," Vector growled. "But we're going to have to, so we can get that cash, and get the hell out of here!"

"Well," Sonic spoke, standing up. "Then, let's go. There's no time to waste."

"But what about Miss Rouge?" Cream asked, concerned. "Shouldn't we wait for her?"

"No worries, Cream," Sonic reassured her. "She's resourceful. She'll find us." He winked.

Amy clasped her hands together, dreamy-eyed, as Sonic and the others stood as well, heroically somewhat. 'Oh, Sonic… you're so dreamy. You're my hero…' She sighed in her mind.

"You okay, Knuckles?" Sonic asked.

The group saw him nod confidently.

"All right." Sonic smirked. "Is everybody ready?"

"Yeah!" was the first enthusiastic response. Charmy pumped his fists into the air. "Let's get these creeps!"

Espio smirked, crossing his arms.

"Aw, yeah!" Vector flexed his biceps. "Let's do this!"

"Okay!" Cream smiled cutely. "Chao-chao!" Cheese sounded excited, too.

With that, the band of heroes headed straight for the elevator the "Client" had guided them to. Amy was the last one following behind. Her pretty green eyes shimmered with adoration.

_'__Our _hero…'

Sonic led his company over to the clear-glass elevator and pressed the down button. Once inside, they headed down to the first level. The elevator car was big enough for everyone to have some personal space.

The red lights passed upward as Sonic made a concerned face.

'We're coming, Shadow… we're coming. Just hold on!'

MAIN FLOOR - HIDDEN CHAMBER…

_I am… in a bright room. I am curled up in a ball, resting on a pillow in an orb-like bed. There are human-shaped shadows standing over me. From the corner of my eye, I can see one speaking._

_'"He's adorable when he's sleeping," says a woman's voice._

_The woman reaches down to pet my head. The hand strokes me soothingly. _

_It's… Miss Laura. She is smiling reassuringly at me, her sapphire eyes telling me everything was all right._

_I… can trust this hand. I can trust her. So I close my eyes._

Shadow had remained in that hidden chamber, where he was being held prisoner, his arms still held down by the metal chains, with his legs still anchored down by their weight. He grimaced. Resisting the urge to fight against the chains, Shadow gazed pensively at the floor. He flashed a fierce fang.

"I have returned… Shadow."

The Madam General was entering, with a troupe of GUNR troopers that was armed with sedation rifles. She stood with her arms akimbo. She smirked.

"You're not Miss Laura…!" Shadow's anger was building in his voice. Shadow demanded to know, "What did you do to me, human?"

"My my, I don't appreciate that tone, Shadow. But, I had a couple of my specialists make a few quick… 'adjustments'." Her smirk grew suspiciously.

Shadow blinked. "'Adjustments'?"

"Why, yes. I thought the bond between us wasn't strong enough, even though it's already there."

"Bond? What bond?"

"Our neurological bond, as well as our karmic bond."

Shadow remained silent. He was confused, not having any idea of what Madam General Harris was talking about. So he did not object; he only deepened his frown.

"You see, Shadow," Number Ninety-Nine began nonchalantly. "I had my surgeons insert this device into my breastbone, implanting it into my skin." She caressed the little electronic device with her fingers. "This device allow my orders of thought to be transmitted to the frontal lobe of your brain, which means your body will do as I command."

Shadow gasped a little.

"You may or may not have noticed, but there is a spinal implant correspondent to this one. It's to ensure my complete control over your judgment, impulses, reasoning—every aspect of your brain that can be controlled. And that's not all: There are nanocrystals flowing through your bloodstream as of right now. They are there to convert the neurological control I have over you into a new hormone that strengthens your muscles and enhances your senses." She giggled cruelly. "I can control you without even lifting a finger. I'm just letting you utilize your free will temporarily. Then, it's onward to the next Phase."

Shadow growled.

The Madam General only scowled at him. "Growl all you want." Her troupe of gunmen formed a barrier in front of her and took aim at Shadow. "It's not going to make a difference."

Shadow growled again. 'Damn… those again.'

"No, no, no," she ordered. "He's an essential part of our plan. We need him conscious. Plus," she started to say to Shadow. "I have a few questions I want to ask you."

"Madam Anelixe?"

Ninety-Nine turned to see that Numbers Ninety-Eight and Ninety-Seven had returned. She scowled.

"Don't get too comfortable addressing me that way, _Andrew,__" _she snarled through gritted teeth. "What is it?" she asked, a bit annoyed.

The First Lieutenant General flinched. "Umm… it's our defense grid…! It's been overridden by one of the same intruders from earlier!"

"Those 'intruders' just happen to be a part of our plan, dear. And that 'one' is apparently one of ours…"

Ninety-Eight blinked.

Shadow grimaced. 'Rouge!'

Ninety-Nine snickered, turning her back on her subordinates. "Let them be."

Ninety-Seven and Ninety-Eight saluted. "Yes, Madam."

Shadow snarled, _"__What _do you _want _from me?"

Number Ninety-Seven glanced over at Shadow and the method of his imprisonment. He looked pensive. 'These mere chains _can__'__t _be holding him there, can they?'

"What I want from you, Shadow… is your power." Ninety-Nine was glowering at him.

The two Lieutenant Generals were keying in on the conversation at hand, trying to piece everything together silently.

The black hedgehog's threatening visage suddenly lightened into a confused look.

"My… my power?" Shadow sounded uncertain.

His thoughts trailed back to the incidents in Central City and on Radical Highway, where he had fought off the GUN forces in order to protect Rouge.

He sighed hopelessly. 'Why would anyone want such terrible powers like mine…?'

"I want your strength, your determination… your deadly vengeance. Your miraculous talent to harness the truest strength of the Chaos Emeralds will become of great use." She menacingly paced up to him, trying to intimidate Shadow.

"How exactly are you willing to use my power?" His eyes followed her feet.

"Don't mind it. It's none of your concern, really. For right now, let me ask you this." She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms. Her smirk widened suspiciously. "How fond were you… of Laura?"

Shadow gasped. He froze, his eyes quivering. He hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

'That name…? Why does it sound so familiar?'

"Did you even _know _who the woman was?" Ninety-Nine asked, sensing hints of uncertainty in Shadow.

'That name…?' Shadow growled under his breathing. 'Whose is it? And why does it haunt me so?'

Shadow's eyes flared brightly all of a sudden, and he quickly shut them, looking away. He tried vainly to reach for his head, but the chains were unresisting and would not let him go. He pulled at his restraints, wriggling vainly while jingling the chains that held his body. His grunts were only refrains that were pleasing to the Madam General's ears.

Anelixe snickered. "I may not be able to take the memories _themselves _away, but I can take _your __awareness _of them away. And besides…" She adjusted her glasses, so that a crimson gleam of the lights appeared. "Why take them away when I can make you suffer first…!"

"I order you to release me, human!" he barked at her vehemently.

Anelixe sighed hopelessly. "I only took your awareness away; did you not hear me?" She glared at him. "You should be able to recall her face, at least…?"

Shadow gasped, freezing again. His eyes quivered, a dim light flashing in his irises. He suddenly saw a mental image of a dark-skinned woman that looked a lot like Anelixe. She seemed to be smiling.

'It's her!' Shadow cried in his mind. But something didn't feel right to him. 'Wait…!' The mental image of the woman started to disappear. 'That can't be the same person…! No!'

Shadow's eyes widened, his irises flashing brighter, before he snapped them shut again.

Caiden glowered. 'She's using mind games to torture him into submission,' he thought critically. 'This isn't right! I have to stop her!'

"Madam…?" he began suspiciously.

But she did not turn around.

"Uh, Madam General?" Andrew spoke up next. "Umm…?"

"I sense hesitation in your voices," Number Ninety-Nine said. "You're probably wondering why I'm doing this, Ninety-Seven, Ninety-Eight." She turned her head a little. "This is still the Second Phase of my plan… but if you don't like what I'm doing…!"

Suddenly, the barricade of gunmen in the room maneuvered to face them. They switched their sedation rifles for their machine guns and quickly took aim directly at the two Lieutenants. The two of them against the eight of them wasn't a fair advantage, and they could see that the troupe of guards outranked them in importance. Since they were the Madam General's personal corps of protection, they were defenseless, even with their weapons. They both gawked at the sight of the gun barrels being aimed directly at them.

Anelixe grinned. "Then, you can both just die."

"No, stop—!" Shadow cried out.

But the barricade of arms open fired. Bullets blazed through the Lieutenants, striking through their bodies and into the walls, killing them instantly. The protection corps stopped on its own and watched as the two of them crumpled to the floor. Blood steadily pooled underneath them.

Shadow was speechless, except for the faint "No…" that escaped. He shut his eyes, continuing his struggle against the shackles.

As he fought, more strange images began to show themselves, showing multitudes of horrifyingly graphic instances involving screams, gunshots, and blood: There were several screams after the explosions of gunshots; there were mutilated bodies everywhere in Shadow's vision, the gunshots having penetrated most of them and destroyed them in parts. There were puddles of blood.

Even the woman Shadow could not recognize appeared to be dead.

"Why…? Where did all of this come from… and why am I seeing it?" Shadow cried out, demanding an answer.

"Because, Shadow," Anelixe replied in a nefarious tone, half-calm and half-insane. "I want your power; I want it! Now, show it to me!"

"No! Stop it!" the hedgehog cried, seeing the images in his head flashing, one by one, repeatedly. "Please, make it stop!"

Rapidly, the memories sped back and forth in his mind. They all began to scramble out of control, and all chaos broke loose.

But then, there was Laura's smile. And then, there was nothing.

Shadow was on the verge of tears. He could feel his mind burning once again. His chains lifted as the presence of gravity began to nullify. Everything—and everyone—was starting to float. Shadow hovered there, the chains holding him jingling and rattling. His eyes were raised, gazing at the ceiling, when his pupils constricted to an indescribable size, his irises a crimson beyond recognition.

Anelixe just watched in pity, floating upward, as Shadow floated there in his restraints, screaming from the mental torture.

'Such tremendous power…! I almost feel sorry for the poor creature,' she thought pitifully. 'No matter. He's broken, now.' She smirked evilly.

Shadow finally howled to the top of his lungs.

SECTOR 6 (LEVEL 1)—5:13

Sonic and the gang had arrived at the designated area that they were told to head to, and ahead were the huge titanium doors that the "Client" said they were supposed to see.

"It's not guarded?" Vector wondered, scratching his head.

"It has to be," Espio said, crossing his arms. "Or else this would be too easy."

"But there's not a guard in sight!"

"But we can't risk getting caught, though," Sonic added. His thoughts instantly went back to the time when he first saw Shadow resting on the bed. He furrowed his brows. "We still have a mission to complete."

"No worries, Sonic! Espio and I'll check it out," Vector insisted, with Espio nodding.

Sonic nodded as well. "All right, we'll be back here until you give us a signal."

Vector and Espio nodded and made their way toward the titanium doors, while being on constant guard. Espio was equipped with an arsenal of _kunai, _creeping down the hall alongside Vector, who cracked his knuckles. The titanium doors glimmered, despite the dimness of the red fluorescent lamps all over the Fortress, let alone that level.

"Well, it's safe to cross, now, you guys," Vector called to the group behind. "Heh heh! Told you, Espio! No guards or sentries in sight—Gah!" the crocodile bellowed. He fell backwards onto the metallic floor, seemingly disoriented and his leg twitching.

Espio looked down at him oddly.

Sonic lifted an eyebrow. "What was that? Is everything all right?" Sonic called, leading Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Cheese, and Charmy to them.

Espio attempted to touch the door, but was greeted by an electric shock as well. There was a supposed invisible force field partitioning them from the metal doors.

"Well, this wasn't mentioned by our 'Client,'" Espio said, placing a hand under his chin. "It's some kind of force field."

"You bet it is."

Everyone sharply turned around to see the owner of the voice: a man with navy-blue hair and dark grayish-blue eyes. He donned an elite GUNR uniform of burgundy and black. With him were three other men, one tall and buff, another shorter and slimmer, and the last with brown skin and cropped, auburn hair. The navy-haired man smirked.

"Yes, and, apparently, an alarm, as well," Espio added, falling into a combat stance.

The navy-haired GUNR agent backed up toward an electronic interface behind him. After tapping in a few keys, the elevator doors behind him slid shut and locked. The three accompanying the assumed leader snickered a little.

Vector bolted upright. "Hey, what the hell—! Uh…?"

The leader of the group armed himself with a semiautomatic pistol.

Vector sat, a little dumbfounded by the human agents taking aim at them. He blinked, a sweat drop falling from his temple. "Oh boy…!"

"Those uniforms…?" Sonic muttered. "You're… part of the GUN Rebellion, right?"

The other three elites glared at the hedgehog.

"Why, yes," Number Ninety-Three answered honestly. "Yes, we are." He frowned again. "What of it?"

"Your mecha attacked us!" Amy yelled, pointing an accusing finger. "What's the big idea, anyway? What are you after Shadow for?"

"That information is highly confidential, my dear," the elite officer claimed. "But your 'Client' awaits your presence beyond those doors, you see. _He _might be able to answer your burning questions. As for now, though…"

The other three male officers with him pulled out their handguns and aimed directly at them. Amy and Cream and Cheese hid behind Sonic, who snarled a little as he threw out a protective arm.

Number Ninety-Three smirked smugly. "Those doors are impregnable without the password, but anyway…" He snickered. "Good luck getting passed _us.__"_

The three agents cocked their weapons threateningly.

"Now, hold on a sec," Sonic halted them, stepping up a little. "Why are you attacking us if we're _supposed _to get through those doors?"

"Why, you ask? Because we still see you as intruders." His three partners smirked, snickering heavily. "Plus, we want this to be more fun… by making this a challenge for you."

Sonic furrowed his brows, flashing a fang.

"Good luck…! Fire!"

The four agents fired their weapons.

"Scatter!" Sonic ordered, seeing that the bullets didn't connect.

With that, he, Espio, and Vector took off in three separate direction, each of them taking on an elite. Knuckles managed to defect the gunfire by punching the floor below and bringing up a makeshift metal shield. He held the girls close to him, hearing them yelp in fear. Charmy ducked underneath the metal covering, tucking his head under his arms. Knuckles grimaced, hoping the metal shield would hold up until there was a ceasefire.

"Damn!" he cursed, holding the girls closer.

As Vector went in for Number Eighty-Nine, Espio took on Number Ninety. Vector dodged the shots made by his brawny human counterpart and connected his fist to Eighty-Nine's jaw.

Eighty-Nine had been knocked backward by jab. He caressed his jaw. "So you want to play rough, do you?" He spotted his gun and ran up to grab it. He took aim, only to see Vector rushing toward him. "What the…!"

"Look out!" Vector's voice called out from behind. He leapt into the air, forming doubled fists, and hammered the nape of Eighty-Nine's neck, knocking him out cold.

Vector flashed an annoyingly masculine pose, flexing his muscles. He smirked handsomely, grinning his pearly whites.

"Don't move," a voice ordered. It was Number Ninety-Two. He kept a steady aim directly at Vector. "Under my federal license to kill, I suggest you stay where you are."

Vector only planted his fists against his sides. Waving a finger, Vector said coolly, "I don't think my friends agree with you…!"

Number Ninety-Two quirked an eyebrow. He shot his eyes back at Number Ninety and saw him on the floor, out cold as well. Ninety-Two seemed annoyed, but on guard.

"Useless piece of—Ah!"

Then, he felt a flurry of stings shoot passed him, slitting his arms, legs, and neck. The blades' cuts sharply stung, for he dropped his gun and gripped his neck.

"Shit…!" he murmured.

"No need for you to panic," said Espio's voice gently, slowly moving away from the elite. "I've avoided all of your vital areas, your veins. You shouldn't even bleed."

'Like paper cuts…?' Ninety-Two examined his arms and pant legs, which were covered in nicks, but they were clear of blood. He closed his eyes.

"How merciful of you," Ninety-Two commended the chameleon. "Even though you shouldn't have been…!" He quickly took up his weapon and aimed it behind him. He fired.

Sharply and fluidly, Espio was able to deflect the bullets that came at him.

Number Ninety-Two fired round after round of bullets at Espio; unfortunately for him, they were all deflected and evaded, no matter how well-aimed he was, and he was fresh out of ammo.

"Damn it!" he cursed to himself, finding no more magazines for his gun. Suddenly did he give a brief yelp and moan, collapsing to the floor.

Vector cracked his knuckles. "Heh!"

Espio shot his eyes back to see Sonic speeding around his opponent. Sonic Spin-Dashed, striking Ninety-Three in the back. He went down with a crash, his gun spinning away from him. Sonic skidded to a stop and smirked.

Knuckles, Charmy, and the girls slowly crawled from behind the metal covering and stood. Knuckles nodded to Sonic, indicating that they were all safe and unharmed.

"All right, you guys," Sonic signaled them to regroup, and they did. "Let's go. The 'Client' is just beyond those doors."

Everyone nodded. As everyone made their way over to the doors, Cream and Cheese looked back to the fallen GUNR elites, who were still unconscious. Cream blinked a little. "Chao…" Cheese cooed, blinking as well.

Sonic had a glower of determination traced in his face. 'And Shadow is, too. I can feel it…!'

The doors were right there, and Knuckles made his way over to the security module to the side of the massive doors. He smirked. He revved an arm back and threw a strong punch into the electronic interface. It was instantly crushed, and the electric force field was disabled. It collapsed from in front of the doors and fizzled out.

"Why hack when you can smash?" Knuckles playfully joked.

Cream giggled a little.

Sonic smirked down at her.

The massive doors were sliding open slowly, and when they were completely wide, Sonic and the gang raced inside. Seeing two familiar silhouettes, Sonic stopped the others and glanced over the two of them. He frowned.

"Tails? Rouge?"

Tails turned around. And shockingly, his eyes were filled with tears. "Sonic…?" he murmured hopelessly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sonic then looked beyond the metal balcony, and saw an army of E-102 Gammas activating row by row. Near the back of the chamber resided the Eclipse Cannon, with Shadow at its heart.

"I see you've _all _fallen into my trap," the 'Client' said over his radio receiver to the Chaotix.

Vector, Espio, and Charmy gave the walkie-talkie that they had thoroughly baffled looks.

"Congrats."

'Shadow…' Rouge thought, terrified. 'This can't be…' Tears streamed down her cheeks. 'No…!'

**Segment Twelve Completed.**


	13. Segment Thirteen: Intensity

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Thirteen — Intensity**

Rouge had covered her mouth, still horrified by what she was seeing. Tears were falling forth from her eyes.

'Oh no, we're too late! Shadow, try to break free…!'

"Ho ho-ho-ho!" Eggman appeared, hovering in the air just past the railing. "Now that I've got you where I want you, there will be no opposition once I've destroyed you!" Eggman exclaimed madly. "Especially you, _Sonic!"_

"What's the purpose of all this, Eggman?" Sonic started interrogating. "What are you planning?"

"Why don't you see for yourselves!" He hovered away in a floating vehicle.

Sonic growled and chased after him. "Eggman!" He stopped himself at the railing and gasped.

Eggman flew over the huge battalion of E-102 Gammas that choked the floor. They were ready and waiting for their orders to search and destroy, armed with all types of guns. Their optic lenses flashed a lethal green.

Seated steadfast behind the army protecting it was the Eclipse Cannon. Its needle surged with Chaos Energy and pointed up at the atmosphere. The ceilings above the Cannon opened slowly, allowing the Chaos Energy to exit the facility when the time arose. Turbines circulated the Chaos Energy throughout the cannon, its entire structure glowing brightly.

Branching out from a halo-like disc ringed around the Cannon were two commander's chairs supported by arched arms. Two female technicians sat in them, one had short, dark hair, and the other had lightened hair in a bun. Both were wearing visors over their eyes, as they scanned multiple touch-screens that hovered before them. They tapped on several keys, minding their jobs to keep Shadow's energy levels constantly stable. Their visors gleamed.

"Holy crap, what a setup," Sonic said.

"And Shadow's at the heart of it!" Tails cried, pointing at the Cannon.

Shadow was imprisoned within a domelike space specifically designed to make him a power source. His connection to the cannon was in the form of energy-conducting cables, securing his arms, legs, and neck with collars of black cybernetic rubber that "linked" him up to the Cannon's Chaos Energy generator. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and more cables were holding him there in midair. Imprisoned against his will, he hung there heartbreakingly.

A heavy grimace contorted his face; he appeared to be in pain.

"Oh, Shadow…" Rouge's sigh sounded raspy, as if she were about to cry. "I'm sorry… ever so sorry." She bowed her head. 'I'll never be able to live this down.'

Sonic reassured her, "Rouge, this isn't your fault—!"

But a horde of Chaos Gammas were already on the move. Sonic and Rouge gasped.

"But it'll be _yours _if you do not _'save' _him!" Doctor Eggman cried out as a horde of Chaos Gammas flew over the railing. "Bah ha ha ha!"

Gunfire spat at them, but Sonic and Rouge reflexively evaded. The others were able to dodge the laser fire as well. Splitting into three groups, they all psyched themselves for battle, and when they were ready, they all lashed out to attack.

The Madam General stepped up onto the platform in front of Shadow. She gazed intently at him. She smirked a little.

'Too bad, little one,' she thought. 'Looks like I will soon call checkmate.'

She turned away from Shadow to one of the elevated specialists wheeling about her head. "Increase maximum output to eighty-five percent," she murmured to one of them.

The dark-haired woman nodded obediently. She brought up a window, where the gauge was filled up to a harmless twenty percent; yet, by the tips of her fingers, it increased.

Shadow was startled by the sharpness of the increase. The Energy surged; his eyes flew open, and he screamed from the pain.

Rouge gasped. "Oh no! Shadow!"

Shadow began to writhe within his restraints, and his spinal neural link sparked as it drained more and more Chaos Energy from him. Behind clamped eyelids were blazing-red eyes. The Chaos Energy that was being pulled from his body circulated within the turbines, increasing the power output as it was building up in the reservoirs of the massive machine.

The Madam General grinned evilly. "Let's give this situation a little more…intensity. Release the second wave!" she sharply commanded.

Sonic speared through another Chaos Gamma with a Spin Dash and paused for a breath upon seeing it explode. He cried out, "Shadow! Agh, we've got to get to him—!"

"Not as long as _I'm _here, you won't!" Eggman intervened, with more Chaos Gammas following behind him, preparing to attack. "Gah ha ha ha!"

One Gamma abruptly made an offensive swipe, swatting Sonic away as if he were a fly. He grunted from the blow and hit the floor, his body skipping across it.

Amy gasped. She was a little ways away from Sonic's bruised form. "Sonic!" the girl yelled. Only did she cry in vain, for another Chaos Gamma grasped her and began to constrict her. She tried to break away from the tightening grip, but she could not. "Sonic…!"

Sonic sharply awakened and raced to retrieve her, but was knocked aside again and pinned to the floor by the Gamma's weighted frame.

"Ah! Amy!" he cried, reaching out for Amy.

But, Knuckles came to her rescue. He threw a hard fist into the side of the Gamma, forcing it to release Amy. Amy was able to recover quickly, and flashed her sights over to where Sonic was. The Gamma was still crushing him, with Sonic yelping in pain. Knuckles snarled, seeing Sonic being crushed and reflexively dashed toward him, but Amy was already on her way.

"Oh, no, you don't, you big hunk of junk!"

Now was her chance: Amy's Piko-Piko Hammer suddenly appeared, and its head was being bashed into the side of the Gamma until it keeled over in a wrecked heap.

Sonic quickly got up, with Knuckles's help, and looked over at the sound of another, different yelp. Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy rushed over to help.

Tails had been nicked by a stray gunshot. He had crumpled to the floor far across Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy, but in front of Cream. The little girl began to panic. "Tails! Amy, help!" Cheese covered his eyes. "Chao chao! Chao chao!" he cried.

Amy charged at the Gamma that had attacked Tails, and she was able to attack it, but she was harshly swatted aside by its comrade.

Sonic and Knuckles were caught by and double-teaming a group of Gammas before they heard Amy's cry. Sonic gasped, with Knuckles looking back.

"Amy!" Sonic yelled to her.

"Oh no!" Cream cried, seeing Amy fall to the floor. Tears came to her soft-brown eyes as she ran over to Tails. "Tails, are you okay?"

Tails was able to respond with a hesitant "Yeah…", trying not to worry his younger friend.

Suddenly swarmed by a horde of Chaos Gammas, Tails and Cream flinched. Terror filled Cream's face as Tails shielded her and Cheese, throwing his little body around theirs.

To their rescue came the Chaotix. Vector flew in from being carried by Charmy and plummeted toward the Gammas, slamming his bicep into the domes of their heads, crushing them completely.

"All right!" Vector said proudly, heading for another Gamma.

Espio danced in and out of the Chaos Gammas' paths, slicing them cleanly with his _kogatana. _His agility had hints of grace as he slashed the surrounding robots, accompanied with Vector's brute smashing.

Charmy cheered for them, pumping his fists into the air. "Yeah! You get them, guys!"

However, Madam General Anelixe was becoming increasingly agitated.

"No, I can't lose…! Kick it up to the maximum!" she waspishly snapped at one of the techs.

Again, the dark-haired one took up a control panel frame, touched the gauge, and followed her order.

"Cannon absorption is at full capacity, Madam," she said, her visor gleaming one hundred percent in its reflection. "Enclosing Chaos Energy-reinforced protective barriers around the Subject…" She tapped on a few more keys.

An Energy shield materialized around Shadow's glass dome. Shadow felt another strenuous pull on his energy. His body began to spark; he strained for someway to escape the torturous feed on his life force, leading him to a success: Shadow began to semiconsciously resist the power feed, and siphoned some of his power back ever so steadily.

His power was building.

And Anelixe could tell. The dark-haired tech above her told her that the monitor gauge was faltering between ninety-nine and one hundred percent; Anelixe growled, but she gasped, eyes wide, as she gawked at the brightness behind her.

Shadow was indeed resisting. He was pulling at the tethers that held his arms against his chest. And consequently, his restraint cables were beginning to tear. His eyes gaped open, blazing red with overly surging power. He released a primal cry, howling wildly.

Rouge soared toward him, dodging the Chaos Gammas that were in her way.

"Shadow!"

She and Anelixe locked eyes; Anelixe smirked evilly.

But Rouge was determined to stop her. Rouge cried out, "Let him go or I'll kill you!"

Sonic and Knuckles regrouped with Amy, Tails and Cream and Cheese. The Chaotix managed to make it back, too. They all looked on as the Eclipse Cannon began to glow. Shadow was emitting so much energy, Sonic couldn't help gawking.

'So much power…!' Sonic sounded panicked. "It's going to blow!"

"The absorption limit has been surpassed! Three hundred percent and climbing rapidly!" said the light-haired technician above. After some wordless moments, and more screen tapping, there came an even more alarming beeping sound. "Capacity has reached beyond its limits! Five hundred percent!"

Anelixe grimaced heavily. She shot her eyes back at Shadow.

Shadow's restraints were tearing ever so slowly.

Sonic shot his sights over at the Eclipse Cannon. He frowned. 'Shadow! Just hold on—!'

One surviving Chaos Gamma rocketed toward the group, ready to attack.

Rouge flew high above the Eclipse Cannon and surveyed it from in the air: Flickering sparks popped from the connectors' sockets; Chaos Energy in lightning form bolted up and down the Cannon's tapered barrel; Shadow's dome continued to flash with bright red light.

Rouge panicked. 'I have to save him!'

She soared downward toward Anelixe, who saw her coming. Anelixe dodged her attack, pulling out her semiautomatic handgun. She aimed it straight at Rouge, but before she could fire, Rouge kicked it out of her hands.

Anelixe grunted. "You little—!"

"Let Shadow go," Rouge ordered. "Or else…!"

But Anelixe snickered. "Over my dead body…!" Her cerulean eyes caught some of the crimson light from Shadow's chamber. She waspishly ordered, "Prepare to fire!"

Rouge gasped, "No!"

"Rerouting power from energy reserves to main generator," replied the light-haired tech-woman again. She pecked at the screen. A map of the cannon was displayed, showing the energy rerouting. "Initiating Cannon fire in T-minus twenty seconds…"

That led to a stronger power siphon from Shadow. He was already stressing to resist, but his subconscious, irrationalized mind did not allow him to falter. The Energy-reinforced barrier was beginning to crack and splinter. Sparks of lightning struck within the bubble every which way.

Thus, Anelixe muttered, "Impossible…!" Her eyes widened with impeccable dread until she shut them, tears of anger and failure flew down her face. "Fire!"

And the cannon's energy was discharged. A beam of Chaos Energy was shot into the sky. The beam plummeted upward and hit the ARK, which was directly above the Final Fortress at that moment. The entire structure turned red with Chaos Energy, and, seemingly, activated the ARK in some way.

The Gamma that attempted to assault the others was immediately deactivated from the transfer of energy within the cannon. Sonic blinked, but he soon saw an intense light up ahead.

"What the…!"

He heard the faint shattering of glass. He saw the entire back wall disintegrating from the eruption of power, which was now approaching fast.

"Everyone, take cover!" Sonic cried, shielding his face. Amy took hold of Tails and Cream, with Cheese tucked inside of her arms; Rouge cloaked her wings around herself; Knuckles crouched down low, also shielding his face; Charmy ducked behind Vector as he and Espio braced themselves.

The light came faster and faster as debris flew outward, and it intensified to its peak.

* * *

><p>Soon did the brightness die out, unveiling all of its destruction. Sonic and the others uncovered their eyes. Amy, Tails, and Cream gasped, tears kindling in Cheese's bright blue eyes.<p>

The Chaotix were in thorough surprise. "Whoa," Vector said softly.

"Oh, my word…" Espio sighed.

"Look…" Sonic murmured, coming up the ruined slope, with eyes wide.

Everyone saw that the Final Fortress had been completely destroyed. There was nothing left. Everything was gone.

Rouge was the last one to uncover her eyes and see the barrenness. Fresh tears sought new pathways down her cheeks.

'Shadow…!' she thought fearfully. 'Where is he?'

**Section Thirteen Completed.**


	14. Segment Fourteen: Eclipse Gravitation

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Fourteen — Eclipse Gravitation**

Blight ravaged the island, leaving it barren like a desert. Each and every living organism was wiped clean away, except for Sonic and the others. They were the only ones that had survived the blast. They wanted to survey the area, seeing the devastation that Shadow had wreaked.

The sky was heavy with dark clouds, and there seemed a reddish tint to them. The aftereffects of the Eclipse Cannon's discharge seemed to be affecting the color and movement patterns of the clouds. Residual Chaos Energy seemed to surge as green lightning within the sky.

Sonic and the gang stood near the top of the slope that just happened to be formed.

"This is… so unreal," Sonic softly sighed in disbelief.

Espio knelt down and felt the earth, regarding its texture. "It's burned," he said chillingly. "All of it has been burned, vaporized."

"No way!" Vector was awed. "Seriously?"

"No…" Rouge murmured mournfully. "This…! This can't be! Not him…! No…"

Espio made a worried face, stepping closer to her. "What should we do?"

"All of you guys stay here." Sonic had stepped closer to the slope and clenched a fist.

"But what about you, Sonic?" Amy asked anxiously.

Her one-and-only blue wonder smirked. "I think it's about time I had a little confrontation with my 'twin'." He threw a thumbs-up at her. He wanted to leap off the slope's edge, but something stopped him.

"Wait!" Rouge dashed up to Sonic and grabbed his arm. "Let me come with you. We can find him together." She nodded to him surely.

Sonic gave her an insecure look before nodding back to her. The both of them leapt off the slope, with Rouge taking to the air and Sonic racing on the ground.

"Ooh, be careful Sonic!" Amy warned.

"You too, Rouge!" Tails called after her.

"Bah!" Vector cried, a handkerchief soaking up his tears. Apparently, he was worried sick for Rouge. Espio and Charmy stood away from the buff crocodile, sighing hopelessly, droplets of sweat trailing down their jaw lines.

* * *

><p>Sonic and Rouge landed next to each other meters away from where the others were. They had looked all around, searched the island from end to end, but there was nothing but ruin, and no Shadow. Surprisingly, the island kept its physical form, but the entire thing looked like a crater.<p>

"You don't think he got vaporized in the blast, do you?" Sonic asked, looking worriedly at Rouge.

Rouge clenched her fist. "No, I know he didn't…! I know it!"

Sonic gazed at her with worrisome eyes. He hoped that she was right, but something was telling him otherwise. Sonic barely knew Shadow, besides those times when he first met him in Mystic Ruins and in Tails's Lab. Other than that, Sonic never really witnessed a demonstration of the power Shadow possessed. So, rather obliviously, he kept his thoughts of doubt to himself.

"Let's keep looking, Rouge," Sonic suggested hopefully. He placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled. "We'll find him."

Rouge's teary eyes slowly veered over to look at Sonic's smile. She blinked a little.

But then, there was a sudden glitch in the air, and Sonic sensed it immediately. He and Rouge threw their sights back to see Shadow hovering there in midair. They gasped upon seeing him.

"His aura…? It's different," Sonic pointed out.

"You're right…" Rouge agreed. "But let me see if he's all right. Please…" she seemed to be asking Sonic.

Sonic blinked a little nervously. "You sure _you'll _be all right?"

Rouge only looked back at Shadow and nervously began to stride toward him. She recalled what he had said to her back in Club Rouge:

"_She died protecting me!" _

Rouge's tears moistened her eyes, her aquamarine irises gleaming sadly. She clearly remembered the words Shadow said to her, about Laura and the grief that he had been carrying in his heart for fifty years.

"_You don't know the pain I'm feeling right now, and you never will!" _

The face of Laura, the one Rouge envisioned, looked beautiful and sweet, just like her heart. There wasn't a doubt in Rouge's mind that Laura was a kind soul, seeing that Shadow had been gravely upfront and honest about her. The past that the government file described and Shadow's actual memory weren't one and the same, but Rouge trusted that Shadow's memory was true. With that said, Shadow's pain was soon to be Rouge's pain, if nothing was to be done.

And Shadow's pain was being expressed through destruction, something that she, Sonic, and the others could not let Shadow demonstrate.

"_You shouldn't know about that; you were never supposed to know!"_

Shadow was right, though: Rouge would never know the pain of losing a loved one, let alone a mother. But something in her told her that she would soon find out, if nothing was done to help Shadow, now. She feared that Shadow's power would amass to something beyond anyone's control, let alone her own. She knew that the GUN Federal Forces would be arriving soon, since the explosion could have possibly been seen from kilometers away. She knew they were coming, and she had to calm Shadow to the point where he was totally still and silent.

Even though she doubted that would happen.

Rouge was hesitantly stepping toward Shadow, who lowered closer to the ground, bit by bit, from where he was hanging in the air. His head was down low, to where Rouge couldn't see his face. Rouge stopped in her tracks. She could only glower in deep sympathy as she watched Shadow hovering there for a moment.

Sonic was a little ways behind her, glowering as well.

"Shadow's back," Tails pointed out, peeping his eyes over the edge of the slope.

Cream and Cheese did the same.

"But where had he gone?" Knuckles asked in response, but quietly to himself.

Espio blinked, placing a hand to his chin. Vector and Charmy, on the other hand, looked to each other and shrugged.

Amy's tears fell from her eyes as she clasped her hands together. 'Oh, Sonic… Rouge… be careful.'

Rouge held her hands close to her chest. She slowly moved in.

"Shadow?" Rouge softly called his name. She hoped that she would get a response of some kind, but nothing came.

She hardened her expression and reached out for Shadow cautiously.

"Shadow… I'm here… I'm here to help you…"

But Shadow didn't appear to have heard her. He hovered there unconsciously, his body still, without words—without so much as a groan.

And that concerned Rouge. Was he unconscious? Had he been knocked out by the explosion somehow? Why was his body just floating there if he was unconscious? So many questions entered Rouge's mind, but her hand managed to come into contact with Shadow.

"Shadow—!"

"_I'm always here with you…"_

Shadow's eyes flew open. They gleamed sharpest red.

"Rouge, get away from him!" Sonic cried out.

"_I love you…Shadow."_

"_But…who are you?"_

Shadow screamed.

His power flared, and Sonic dashed over to Rouge just in time to protect her. He shielded her with his own body, and the burst of Chaos Energy forked outward as lightning streaks, creasing the scorched soil within the radius of the crater. Sonic tucked Rouge closer to his body in order to protect her, as they were flung back by the enormous wave of Chaos Energy. The others ducked under the slope and braced themselves for the bluster.

Once the Energy bolts struck the earth, flashes of black light followed in their wake. Booming sounds were heard, maybe from kilometers away.

And the Helios Rockets and Mobile Hangars were soaring right toward the fray. The Captain of the Federal Forces Air Force frowned a little, seeing a beam of black light some kilometers ahead.

"Everyone, come to a slow and hold your positions," the Captain ordered.

The fleets of aerial vehicles gradually decreased their speed and looked on toward the black light as it wisped away.

'Something's not right…!' The Captain scowled, at a loss of what his fleet's next move should be.

* * *

><p>In his mind, Shadow was standing in the middle of nowhere, his thoughts and feelings absent. Where he was, the place was filled with blankness, and there wasn't an obstruction in sight. He was not yet aware of his surroundings, unaware of the white infinity around him.<p>

But then, he awakened, his eyes of pure scarlet softly opening. Looking straight ahead, he didn't recognize where he was.

"Where… am I?" he asked himself.

"You're with me."

Shadow's eyes widened slightly, startled a little. He furrowed his brows a little. Slowly turning around, his eyes gleamed unsurely.

"Who…?" he said hesitantly.

A dark-skinned woman stood honestly in front of him, in the clothes Shadow last saw her in: her light-blue shirtdress, white lab coat, and navy-blue sling-back pumps. Her eyes sparkled lovingly, and her hands remained clasped together in front of her.

Shadow blinked. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled, and replied kindly. "Shadow… I am your mother."

* * *

><p>Miraculously, the vast island where Final Fortress once stood was still able to hold its form. The immense power that had flared and sparked was now streaking wildly into the air. Everyone—Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Cream and Cheese, and the Chaotix—was hiding from the streaks of black lightning; Cream and Cheese were crying uncontrollably, due to their fear.<p>

"Please, Cream, Cheese," Amy begged. She pulled them into her arms. "Please, don't cry. Everything will be okay."

But Tails had his doubts. 'The Sonic Monsoon must have been destroyed in the blast, so there's no way we can escape!' He peeked over the ledge and gawked at the black lightning. 'Even if we did flee, that wouldn't necessarily mean we would escape. His power is strong, _way too strong, _to get away from!'

Tails looked up at the new opening in the clouds. The atmosphere was still filled with red Chaos Energy, it bleeding into the clouds as they swirled around. The opening revealed a shocking discovery.

One that could not be ignored.

"Guys!" he cried out. He pointed at the opening in the sky. "Guys, look!"

Everyone looked up and gasped.

Sonic and Rouge were lying on the ground far off from Shadow's position. Sonic still had Rouge in his grasp. As they awakened, their eyes met briefly, before looking up at the sky. Looking up and past Shadow's black lightning, there was a scorching-red orb that seemed to be burning through the atmosphere.

Sonic quickly got back on his feet. "What the…! What is that?"

Rouge got up, too. Her eyes filled with dread. 'No… it can't be…!'

"The ARK," Tails murmured frighteningly. "It's going to collide with the Earth…!"

"Collide with the Earth?" Vector bellowed, throwing his hands to hold his head.

Espio made a startled face, while Charmy struck an exaggerated pose.

"Yeah," Rouge admitted honestly. "It's because of the Eclipse Cannon. It was aimed directly at the ARK, high above us in outer space, and at the precise moment, it was fired, and the beam it discharged pulled the ARK out of orbit." She sighed, more tears building in her eyes. "You see, Shadow was used to provide power to the Cannon, merely because Chaos Energy is so versatile to utilize—and because he was the closest Energy source that the Rebellion had. Essentially, the Eclipse Cannon was nothing more than an enormous tractor beam; it must have been Anelixe's goal to use it to destroy the world… by crashing the ARK into the Earth."

Sonic made an uneasy face, growling silently. "Then, what about Shadow? What wrong with him? Why is he acting like this?"

Tails frowned pensively. 'Maybe it's because of the Chaos Energy itself. The strain of energy absorption must have overloaded Shadow's body, and now, Shadow has to release that pent-up Energy.' Tails grimaced a little, nibbling on his thumb. "And this is the only way he can do it," he said softly.

Rouge's tears soared down her cheeks.

"He's gone berserk, and he doesn't realize what he's doing," Sonic persisted, throwing an arm out to guard her.

Another flare of power created a gust of wind. It blustered past them in a single burst, but Sonic and Rouge were able to hold their ground.

Sonic growled. "There's got to be a way to get Shadow calm, _and _stop the ARK from falling!"

Rouge was able to step closer to him, trying not to mind the wind. She wrapped her arms around Sonic's waist and held on tight.

Sonic looked back at her.

Rouge's tears were being windswept. "Please, save him, Sonic," she pleaded. "Please…!"

The wind gust stopped, and Shadow could be seen more clearly. His eyes were totally red, now, and the gravity around him began to nullify. Slices of scorched earth began to hover in the air, disintegrating instantly. Rocks soon followed, as well as Sonic and Rouge.

As she and Sonic floated upward, dread took over Rouge's face.

* * *

><p>Shadow's crimson irises quivered. "You're… my mother?"<p>

An intricately patterned metal blade appeared, and began ticking in a normal-like fashion. Where the dark-skinned woman stood was where the clock hand began to circle underneath Shadow's feet.

'A… clock hand?' Shadow thought curiously. He looked back up to face the woman again.

But the woman only smiled understandingly. "Yes, Shadow. This is the precise time when I ejected you from the ARK: 5:27:53. It was a hard choice for me to make, but I've realized now that it was the right thing to do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now."

Shadow blinked, a stern look sculling across his face. "I wouldn't?"

"That's right." She lowered her gaze a little. "You have forgotten your past because your ability to remember it has been taken away."

Shadow blinked. "My… ability to remember… was taken? By whom?"

"By my grandniece, Anelixe. Her obsession with destruction inevitably destroyed her, and now, it's going to destroy the Earth… my home."

Shadow flinched. 'Your…?'

_Suddenly, she stops us at an intersection… She seems to be looking out the window, staring out at Earth. She looks so sad…_

"It's been fifty long years since I've seen you last, Shadow," she spoke kindly and softly. She smiled. "You may not remember me now, but you will soon." She bowed her head. A couple of teardrops fell from her eyes, glittering sadly.

"I love you, Shadow."

Shadow's eyes widened. 'Love…?' Shadow suddenly reached out for her. "Hey, wait a—!"

But when those teardrops pelted the floor, there came a strenuous pull: the clock's hands began to rotate rapidly backward, and a sudden gravity pulled him down against the floor. Shadow was confused, and aware that the intense gravity could crush him. He resisted with all his might, but it was in vain.

"Agh!"

The area around them shattered, like glass, into blackness, as the illusion of descent took effect. The gravity intensified.

"Hah!" Shadow screamed torturously.

But the woman didn't seem to be effected. The woman's head was still bowed low, hiding the tears running down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Shadow… ever so sorry… Please, remember."

Another teardrop fell.

The clock's counterworks sped up to an impressive degree, and the stressful pull amplified, as well as their descent, forcing Shadow to bellow out in agony.

"Please…!" Shadow begged. "Don't leave me like this…!"

"I wish I could free you, my little angel…"

Shadow's eyes gaped. 'That name… Who is she—!'

But suddenly, her voice changed. "Yes, my little angel of death, darkness, and destruction."

Shadow struggled to look up at Madam General Anelixe. His pupils shrank into miniscule blots, his eyes trembling.

'No…! Not you again!'

"You have failed me, Shadow the Hedgehog." Her sinfully deceitful cerulean eyes stared at him deeply and coldly. "This clock has been set to rewind to the time before the concept of Project: Shadow was even conceived…!" Her eyes flashed maniacally. "To the time when you were never even thought of! Now, Shadow, cease to exist!"

The menacing citrine made its ghastly return around Shadow's irises. He reflexively closed them, trying to fight the gravity, only for him to fail miserably.

He released an ear-piercing yell.

There was a blinding flash.

* * *

><p>"Oh no," Rouge gasped in the distance, watching the fury that grew back in Shadow's eyes. "It's happening… again."<p>

* * *

><p>Shadow returned to the alternate dimension he was in, but now he was in complete and total darkness. Totally blinded by the darkness, Shadow growled softly.<p>

"Where am I?" he could only ask himself. He peered all around him, but saw nothing.

"This is where you were born, Shadow…" said a memorable voice, gracing through the empty void.

"Where I was born?"

"Yes." The owner of the voice stepped out over a patch of light that pierced the blackness's cloak. She stood directly behind Shadow. Unbeknownst to him, however, it was Laura again.

Shadow blinked, trying to find the source of the sweet yet uncanny voice. He timidly spun around. His scarlet eyes moistened.

"Mother…?"

Laura smiled. "It's so good to see you again, Shadow."

"Same here."

Shadow looked around to see three more lights appear and three more seemingly unfamiliar people: the one that had just spoken sounded feminine, and Shadow did see a woman with reddish-orange hair and round eyeglasses smiling at them; there were two men accompanying her, one was a tall blond, and the other was shorter and had almond-shaped eyes. They were smiling, too.

"Shadow, we are all here with you," Laura reminded him, even though he didn't realize she was doing so. The four scientists approached Shadow, who blinked, and knelt down to embrace him, one by one. Laura held him closest.

"Because we love you."

When Shadow opened his eyes again, he gasped, seeing all around him nothing but corpses from his past. He pinpointed the ever most familiar ones: Professor Tomohiro, Professor Roderich, Professor Celton, as well as Professor Gerald Robotnik. But when Shadow found Laura's body, he raced over to it. Frightened and desperate as he was, he still sought Miss Laura for comfort even though she was dead.

"Mother! Please, wake up! Mother! Mother!" Shadow kept shaking her, but she was irresponsive.

This made him even more afraid.

"No, no! Don't go! Don't leave me by myself! Mother, come back! Come back! Don't go…! Mother, please…!" He nuzzled her, clinging to her lab coat.

Now having lost a vital link to unlocking his memories, Shadow wept.

_A pulsating void casts itself in an ocean of red water. Within its swirling depths, a being shoots out of its depths. A female human with white skin rises from the void, garbed in a black cloak, wraps, and a vivid red scarf floating over her eyes. Her locks of ebony dance, and her piercing yellow eyes seethe brightly in the darkness as a broad, golden, crescent-shaped blade appears. She folds her six ebony wings, almost invisible in the darkness, against her body._

_The fallen seraph's red scarf tightens around her eyes._

"No!" Shadow screamed.

Then came another bright flash of light.

* * *

><p>Shadow shrieked to the top of his lungs. The rocks that were slowly hovering around him now flew higher as his power intensified. Sonic and Rouge saw the power sharply spike, and were, unfortunately, caught in its line of fire.<p>

"I can't control it anymore!"

Shadow's body became engulfed by yet another gigantic beam of black light, with thin, circular rings creasing into the earth in succession, their diameters widening with each hollow.

Sonic and Rouge were sent flying backward further into the air. The explosion rushed out toward the others. Everyone braced themselves: Espio stabbed his _kogatana_ into the ground, clenching it tightly; Knuckles had thrown himself in front of the girls and Tails, and was now protecting them, his arms crossed over his chest; Vector and Charmy clung to the ground for dear life; Amy shielded Cream and Cheese, while Tails covered his eyes from the energy that bolted past. Soon, the entire island was consumed by light once again.

The ARK had entered the atmosphere.

"_I sense a powerful, threatening presence. I must act, now."_

**Segment Fourteen Completed.**


	15. Segment Fifteen: The Apocalypse

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Fifteen — The Apocalypse**

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF EARTH'S ORBIT…

"Oh, dear God!" a man in a GUN Federal Forces Astronautics Marshal uniform called out, thoroughly startled. He was a tall blond with cobalt irises as sharp as tacks. "The ARK…!"

A dark-skinned woman came toward the lookout window, and her eyebrows raised in astonishment. "The ARK…! It's—! It's falling!" she yelped as her crystal-clear, blue irises danced with fright. She pressed a hand on the airtight Plexiglas. "Senneth, radio Headquarters and relay to them that Space Colony ARK had fallen out of its orbit and it's heading toward Earth!"

He nodded. "Understood, Ma'am, I'm on it!"

She continued to look out of the window at the ARK as it continued to float toward the Earth. But after veering her eyes away from the Space Colony to its target, a light was starting to fade.

"What's that light…?" she asked peculiarly.

"Headquarters," Senneth radioed Federal Forces' Area 11. "This is Astronautics Marshal Senneth Roderich, calling in a global state of emergency!…"

The blue-eyed woman looked worriedly at the Earth, where the mysterious light had disappeared.

'The entire world is in peril…and I don't know why!'

BACK ON EARTH - FINAL FORTRESS RUINS—5:37

Everyone was safe once again, thankfully. The blast was powerful, enough to have sent the entire Federal Forces Air Force fleet through some turbulence. The Captain had tried to keep his fleet steady.

"Hold out, all of you!" he cried out to his fellow pilots and soldiers.

The light had completely thrown them off, as well as everyone else in the direct vicinity.

Sonic and Rouge seemed to be all right: Sonic helped Rouge sit up, holding her close to him. He looked over to where Shadow was.

'Shadow…' Sonic lamented.

Only for Shadow to be engulfed by his own power.

'Where have you gone?'

Then, there was a sudden rumbling underneath them all. The tremors reverberated under the island. The ocean waves were becoming restless, lapping at the edges of the island wolfishly.

"The waves," Espio pointed out. "It's as if they've gone mad… but where is the moon?"

Just then, the hellish crimson clouds that veiled the Earth parted, revealing the just-as-hellish crimson ARK. The runaway space colony had entered the Earth's atmosphere, and it was heading straight for the island everyone was on. Even though it was soaring through the atmosphere, its presence loomed menacingly over the island.

"I don't see the moon, Espio," Vector panicked.

"But I do see _that!" _Charmy panicked as well, pointing at the plummeting ARK.

Rouge looked up at the sky, at the ARK steadily closing in. She grimaced.

'I'll _never _forgive you, Anelixe. _I'll never forgive you!'_

Sonic felt Rouge placing her head against his chest. He looked forlornly down at her before lifting his sights back up to see Shadow, who was concealed within an orb of black light. He furrowed his brows.

"So," Knuckles spoke up. "Is there any way we can stop this preemptive doomsday?"

"No, there isn't," Tails replied dismally. "Even if there was, I wouldn't be able to figure it out. The Sonic Monsoon's been destroyed, and there's no telling if we'll be able to survive blasts like those again." Tails grimaced, fearful tears streaming down his face. "One more hit like that and we're done for."

Knuckles's face turned solemn. "Tails…"

The waves around the island were becoming rambunctious now, tossing and churning and hungrily swallowing the island's shores.

Vector blinked. "Okay, this is getting kind of freaky…!"

The ground quaked with a startling magnitude. Thorns of stone erupted, forming a splintery ridge that sliced through the island. They shot up from within Shadow's radius and erupted outward.

Everyone braced themselves.

Soon enough, the spikes broke away from their foundations and floated upward, disintegrating once airborne.

"What's happening?" Vector wondered, but he wasn't the only one.

"Shadow's attacks seem… involuntarily," Espio guessed. "Like they have a mind of their own. The Energy surrounding him might be trying to protect him, but I cannot be sure."

"So, he's being protected by an impenetrable Chaos barrier?" Amy asked, still holding onto Cream and Cheese.

"Apparently, so," Tails answered her. "Unless Sonic can pierce through that shield, Shadow's power will amass… possibly indefinitely."

Everyone shot their eyes at Tails.

Then, something in Tails's mind clicked; he gasped.

"The Chaos Emeralds!" Sonic exclaimed. He helped Rouge up and stood, steadfast, next to her. He smirked and looked back at the others, specifically Knuckles.

"Hey, Knuckles!"

Knuckles looked ahead to see Sonic waving his arms. Apparently, the blue hedgehog was trying to grab his attention. Knuckles blinked. He stood up as a sign that he had acknowledged Sonic.

He sharply gasped, however.

_Another female human, garbed in white, with skin as black as night, is kneeling in the center of an ornate circle. The pure white drapes that shroud her body waft, as if drifting through water. The engravings the woman is kneeling upon glisten iridescently._

"_I sense a powerful, threatening presence," the woman's voice chords elegantly. "His true power has awakened… and so has Kazrafel the Fallen. If I am to help her, I must act, now."_

_She brings up an embellished lance, intricately carved and an opalescent sapphire at its eye, from the circle and holds it up, pointing it upward. The sapphire begins to glow as grains of magnificent, iridescent powder are sprinkled over her._

_The blue scarves curve around the white seraph's cerulean eyes before she vanishes._

The Chaos Emeralds had appeared. They were hovering around Shadow, though, within the orb of black light.

Sonic gasped, "No!"

"Oh no!" Tails cried out. "Shadow has the Chaos Emeralds!"

Espio suddenly looked even more apprehensive.

But Vector and Charmy blinked rapidly.

"I'm going to assume that's _pretty _bad!" Vector said, holding onto his head.

"_Bad? _It's _terrible!" _screamed Amy.

"There's only one way to do this…!"

Everyone looked at Knuckles. Apparently, he had a plan. And he was about to execute it. Since Knuckles was not only the sole guardian of the Master Emerald, but also a powerful summoner, he could recall the Chaos Emeralds on a whim. But this would be proven difficult because Shadow's power was so overwhelming.

But he decided to give it a try anyway.

"Chaos Emeralds…! Come forth!"

Then, the Chaos Emeralds disappeared from within Shadow's Energy sphere and reappeared around Sonic and Rouge. They looked at the Emeralds as they began to orbit around them. Sonic blinked before looking back to Knuckles, who fell to a kneel.

"Knuckles…" Rouge sighed worriedly.

"Don't worry," Sonic insisted. He winked at her. "He'll be fine. He's strong, right?"

Rouge's eyes gleamed a brave countenance as she nodded to Sonic. She slowly began to step back.

"Please, save him," Rouge pleaded once more, clasping her hands together.

Sonic blinked slowly. 'I've never seen her this sad before,' the thought entered Sonic's mind. He nodded to her. "I can't make any promises, though." He threw her a thumbs up. "But I'll surely try!" He smirked.

Rouge smiled hopefully, her eyes closing. 'Thank you, Sonic.'

Sonic allowed himself to be engulfed within the Chaos Emeralds' radiance, his body emitting a new brilliance. His fur gradually flashed golden-yellow, and his eyes flared like Shadow's, only with a more peaceful edge.

"He looks so pretty," Cream awed. Cheese blinked, smiling. "Chao-chao! Chao-chao!" he cooed excitedly in her arms. He seemed to know something that the others did not.

"What is it, Cheese?" Cream wanted to know, but Cheese kept wiggling happily.

"How can he be so happy at a time like this?" Vector exclaimed, also wanting to know.

Charmy looked peculiarly at Cheese, while Espio thought for a moment.

'Maybe there's still hope,' the chameleon said to himself, putting his thoughts at ease. He smirked at Sonic as his powerful radiance glowed.

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy cried excitedly, clasping her hands together. "You're so dreamy…!"

"Chao-chao! Chao!" Cheese cooed happily in assent with her. Cream looked down at Cheese just then, blinking. "So, that's why you're so excited…!" She smiled.

"He's Super Sonic, now," Tails said proudly and faithfully. "There's still hope!" The young fox boy's smile broadened, his sky-blue eyes dazzling with excitement and confidence.

Super Sonic gazed at Rouge as she flew away, heading back to where the others were, and smirked a little. He then turned his sights up at the ARK, which was closing in on Earth at a rapidly increasing velocity. He blinked before looking back at Shadow's black barrier. He blinked, glaring thoughtfully at it.

'I guess it's time for the pressure to kick in.' He smirked smugly. "Let's hope this works!"

Sonic levitated into the air and dashed directly toward Shadow's defensive shield. He didn't have a plan right off the top of his head, but he had a hunch that he could pierce through it. He smirked.

'Shadow, just hold on…! I'm coming for you!'

* * *

><p>The Chaotix detectives sat around Rouge like they were guarding her. Espio glanced over at her, concerned. He watched Rouge as she remained huddled with her head tucked against her knees. It sounded like she was crying ever so softly to herself.<p>

'Hmm…' the ninja thought to himself. 'I hope she'll be all right.' He glowered with concern.

"Total weirdness today, huh, Espio?" Vector asked, peeping one of his eyes open and looking at Espio.

Espio blinked up at him, then shook his head in dismay.

"This day keeps getting freakier and freakier."

Espio sighed. "I'm going to have to agree, Vector."

* * *

><p>Shadow was floating in a fetal position within that orb of light with black bolts of lightning streaking around him. They glinted and sparked menacingly.<p>

Technically, Shadow was indeed unconscious, but he was subconsciously on the attack. In dire need of Laura, he wanted to protect himself from the human adversaries that only existed in his memory. His ability to remember was slowly returning, and the first thing he remembered was the ARK massacre.

The smeared blood, the needless destruction, and the blazing gunshots: they all rang out from Shadow's memories. The faces of the scientists that claimed to love him faded into his mind, as well as Gerald Robitnik's. His glasses gleamed.

Shadow's recollection was remarkable: He was able to recall things that he hadn't even taken into mental account—mere things that he had glanced at, like the contrast between the GUN Federal Forces and the GUN Rebellion's emblems. Line after line of human Rebellion soldiers stacked into his mind as well, as he remembered the agents that had attacked him and Rouge.

Then, there was Rouge.

Her eyes looked sad, glowering away from where he would normally have eye contact with her. As she drifted away from him, droplets of tears floated from her eyes.

And he felt one touch his cheek.

Something in him was set off, and he involuntarily called out an attack.

"CHAOS BARRAGE!"

Super Sonic gasped, stopping in mid-flight. He saw a scatter burst of Chaos Energy beaming toward him. He flew away from the succession of blasts, but the last burst caught him off-guard. He was struck out of the air and sent skidding across the ashen earth again.

"Sonic!" Amy and Cream cried fearfully.

"Sonic…" Tails whispered dismally. "No!"

Sonic recovered fairly quickly and snarled. "There's got to be a way to penetrate that shield!" He leaned against his elbow there on the ground, watching more lightning bolts raging about. He flashed a fang. 'He's trying to discharge all of that trapped energy through his attacks _and _maintaining that barrier.'

"If this keeps up," Tails began. "The ARK will collide with the Earth…with or without us saving Shadow."

The waves raged against the crumbling shore of the island; lightning bolted from the angry, crimson heavens while thunder rolled in succession. The clouds were beginning to dissipate under the gravity of the ARK looming intensely over the Earth. Its massive size intimidated and panicked the inhabitants below. They were staring directly back at it while they fled.

The red-haired little girl clamped onto the paramedic's shirt, her green eyes sparkling with fear.

"Mommy…" she whispered sadly.

* * *

><p>"CHAOS—!"<p>

"Shadow, stop!" a desperate voice cried out.

That made Sonic halt. He relaxed his tense body and glanced over his shoulder to see who had screamed.

It was Rouge. She was the one who had cried out, with an ash of hope in her voice, and praying that Shadow had heard her.

"Rouge, no! He's too dangerous to reason with, now! I don't think he's even conscious in there; you might accidentally provoke him!"

But Rouge ignored him. "Just stop this, Shadow! Stop this, now! You don't have to attack us anymore!" She leapt from the group's hiding place.

Vector had tried to catch her ankle, but she was already a sprint away from Shadow. "Doll Face, what are you doing?" he panicked.

Rouge raced over to Shadow. Sonic snatched her wrist before she could get any closer to him, and held her tautly in his arms. Even though she resisted, Rouge was still able to get her feelings out.

"You can… You can stop now, Shadow! Anelixe is gone, now, so you don't have to attack anymore!" she told him, her throat achy of grief. "You've already won…! Just stop fighting, Shadow. You're… You're…"

Sonic felt her stop her struggling. He made a concerned face.

"You're making my heart hurt, Shadow… even…" she sighed, lowering her head. "Even more than before."

Shadow seemed to have heard her because he was frowning. 'I'm… hurting her… again?' he shyly asked himself.

Rouge looked back up at the orb of black light. It seemed to be diminishing slightly in size. Her glassy eyes quivered. "Will you please stop… for me? For us?"

Shadow's eyes instantly constricted, his eyes flaring completely red with energy again. An insane grimace overtook his face, and he screamed.

"CHAOS MAELSTROM!"

The blast of Chaos Energy in the form of wind swirled briefly around Shadow's defensive barrier before flooding outward toward Super Sonic and Rouge. Rouge gasped, but Super Sonic threw himself in front of her. The blast of wind flurried past, nearly sending Rouge back a ways. She had clutched her arms around Sonic's waist and screamed from the shockwave.

Super Sonic, however, stood his ground, determined to protect Rouge and the others, as well as stopping the ARK from its collision course with Earth.

The gale lasted for a minute before the attack weakened. Everyone on the island felt the turbulent gusts and clung to the ground for dear life. The girls and Tails yelped, while Knuckles and the Chaotix held their ground as well.

With a sense of urgency, as the gust cleared, Sonic ordered, "Get away from here, Rouge! It's not safe!"

Rouge was creeping back toward where the others were. She nodded reluctantly and took off again.

Super Sonic smirked, but, upon facing Shadow again, glared at the Energy sphere. He growled a little. Suddenly on the attack, Super Sonic dashed out, soaring toward Shadow.

Righteous fury filled his eyes and fueled him to rocket faster. "Shadow!"

* * *

><p>'Please, Mother… help me…'<p>

Shadow slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing but an infinite whiteness. His pure scarlet eyes widened ever so slightly, as he uncurled from his fetal position and blinked.

"Shadow!"

He looked around curiously. He heard a voice calling out to him, but he didn't know whose it was. He started looking around fervently for the source of the voice.

"Where are you?" Shadow called out.

Then, there was a crashing sound that came from behind him: Super Sonic had blasted a way into the barrier and was soaring toward Shadow at a startling speed.

"Shadow!" Sonic cried out.

Shadow felt another pull on his Energy, and his eyes blazed red once more.

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

As soon as he summoned his power, sharp bolts of Chaos Energy rained from every which way within the seemingly infinite space. Super Sonic immediately saw this, gasping, and dodged the black lightning. He grimaced.

"Shadow, I'm not your enemy—!"

Shadow groaned; another flare of power surged toward Super Sonic.

As Sonic dodged the precision of the attacks, he tried to get closer to Shadow. But his attempts were failing so far, and Shadow's defense was now heightened due to his fear and semiconscious rage.

"Don't give in to your power, Shadow!" Sonic encouraged him. "You can do it! I know you can!" He spiraled out of the way of more lightning bolts. He showed a smile. _"We _know you can!"

Shadow's eyes followed after Sonic, gazing hopefully at the only person that could be his savior. He clamped his teary eyes shut, tears of sorrow released from them. "I… I…"

Super Sonic felt a lowering of guard and took his shot at contacting Shadow. He reached out to Shadow and was able to grasp his wrist. Shadow gasped; then screamed—as did Sonic.

The hand-to-hand contact created sparks. Apparently, the Chaos Energy still coursing in Shadow's body had been transmuted somehow into a diabolical, uncontrollable form of energy—one that was making Shadow's powers go berserk. It was conflicting with Sonic's pure Chaos Energy, and unfortunately, it caused Super Sonic to revert back to his normal form. Once the shock subsided, Sonic breathed a heavy sigh.

"Hold on, Shadow," Sonic coached, breathing a little heavily. His hand still held onto Shadow's wrist. He was floating there next to him. He gripped his other hand onto Shadow's other wrist. He smiled. "I'm here, now." He pulled Shadow into his arms, into an embrace.

Shadow felt a decrease in his power as the arms that were around him held him closer. He felt a rhythmic thumping in Sonic's chest. His cheeks reddened, and he shut his eyes softly. "Please… save me…"

"Don't you worry, Shadow. I will."

Both Sonic and Shadow's wounds were cleared away. Shadow's eyes brightened and danced. He blinked innocently. He wrapped his arms around Sonic's neck and kept his head close to Sonic's chest for that little while, thinking of Laura.

'Mother…?' he thought.

Shadow's head was cradled in the crook of Sonic's neck. Sonic comforted him, caressing his back carefully; Shadow's cheeks were still flushed as he now felt Sonic's hand gliding up and down his arm. He shut his eyes.

An abrupt gasp escaped, and his red eyes flew open, revealing, once again, demonic red sclera.

'Forgive me…!'

"CHAOS ULTIMA!"

Black light was suddenly fired into the atmosphere and fanned out in the sky in silver-black rings. The tidal waves rose and crashed against any form of land they could find. Blasts of thunder bowled through the heavens, while Chaos Energy-induced lightning coursed within them. The climates around the world changed, and the weather patterns were going haywire: Everywhere that was normally calm and peaceful was now facing monstrous storms and unwavering mercilessness. Several severe thunderstorms could be detected by the GUN satellites, as well as tornados, hurricanes and tsunamis, and lightning storms. The clouds were seething in red hues.

And the ARK was still coming, and with a fiery vengeance.

Sonic was flung back and away.

"Shadow!" he cried out.

'I'm not giving up on him! Not yet!'

**Segment Fifteen Completed.**


	16. Segment Sixteen: The Just and the Fallen

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Segment Sixteen — The Just and the Fallen**

SOMEWHERE NOT FAR FROM PRISON ISLAND—5:53

The GUN Federal Forces Air Force fleets were teeming in the sky with their aerial craft. The Captain of the Helios Rockets—and the Air Force—scanned over the ocean, it being as red as blood. Its gruesome color made him reminisce about a certain incident he learned when he was a child. His almond-shaped, lavender eyes gleamed in reminiscence of what he imagined to be his grandfather's body.

"Captain Tomohiro, we're currently thirty kilometers away from the target," voiced another pilot softly.

Yet the soft, feminine voice still startled him. He blinked as he refocused. He took a glance up at the red clouds swirling and black lightning streaking. He glared at it.

"Roger that. Increase speed and stay on course, Helios Unit. Sinistral Wing, take to the left side of the island. Dextral Wing, you take to the right. Let's move!"

The left and right sides of the Helios Rockets took off spiraling through the air ahead. Then he and the remaining fighter jets and Mobile Hangars accelerated toward the island.

REMNANTS OF PRISON ISLAND—Meanwhile…

The ARK was almost halfway through the atmosphere, and it seemed hopeless to even try to stop it. It seemed too late, but Sonic didn't want to give up. He was flung back a distance by the immense force of Shadow's last attack. He hit the ground squarely and hard, but he recovered fairly quickly.

"And just when he regained control…" Sonic muttered. He clenched his fists. 'Shadow…!'

"I don't want… to hurt anymore."

Shadow strived to take control over his own power, desperately restraining himself from attacking.

"No more blood, no more tears, no more…"

A memory of Laura's face came into Shadow's sight, her smile warm and pretty, her cerulean eyes shined radiantly before she closed them. She looked happy.

"Conflict."

Shadow's power flared again threateningly. It shattered the orb surrounding him, and the impact cratered the island.

Even though everyone else was flung back near the island's edge, Sonic kept his ground. Glints of Chaos Energy flurried past like a fiery blizzard. He could feel bolts of electricity slitting his skin, singeing his fur. "Shadow!"

'I can't let this intimidate me! Shadow's my priority right now… and I have to do whatever it takes to save him, to bring him back to us.' Sonic grimaced. 'And then there's the ARK…!'

The Space Colony was only moments away, and its fiery descent was not holding up.

Sonic gazed up at the ball of flaking heated metal and glass as it plummeted directly toward him. The image was reflected in his eyes, as he stared up at it for a moment. He got to his feet again. Something in his mind clicked, and he searched fervently for his friends.

"Guys?" Sonic blinked. Then, slightly panicked, "Guys?"

He shot his eyes back at the explosion that was beginning to dissipate. Sonic blinked a little. Then, he gasped.

"Shadow!"

"_Now, Shadow." Anelixe's haunting voice whispered the ghostly word, "Destroy…!" Her insane cackle echoed throughout Shadow's mind._

"I… refuse…!" Shadow was struggling to rebel.

Other visions of Laura filled his sight: A different expression could be seen on each face. Her happy countenance was evident in each memory, but there were still ones that depicted unhappiness and even anger. But more tear-jerking ones appeared; her last moments alive before she ejected Shadow from the ARK. Her tears never stopped falling, and her blood wouldn't stop flowing. The images aroused fear and uneasiness in Shadow's heart.

'Please, don't leave me, Mother…'

_The white and black seraphim finally meet. Their vision is impaired, but that could only mean one thing:_

_Blind prejudice for one another._

"_Kazrafel…" the white angel speaks, her voice a melodious chord._

"_Sutranel…" the black angel sings in a dual tone._

_And the seraphim unite and fly toward the light._

Sonic saw a window of opportunity and smashed right through it. He raced over to Shadow at the speed of sound and leapt through the haze, the destroyed barrier.

"Shadow!" …

"_I'll always be with you, Shadow," came Laura's voice._

_She stood with her arms held out as she drifted into the light behind her._

_Shadow could only reach out to her, but then, he stopped and looked away, closing his hand into a fist. He finally realized the reason for his loneliness: He had finally translated it to solitude, and it was there to strengthen him, so he decided to put that strength to good use._

_And accepted her absence._

'Thank you, Mother.'

Shadow unfolded from his fetal position and stood, his arms crossed over his chest. He moaned from a soft ache as two angelic wings blossomed forth from his back. One wing was of raven's sheen, black and shimmery; the other of pure magnolia.

Shadow opened his eyes, unveiling his scarlet irises, his eyes having returned to normal. He blinked.

Sonic ran up behind Shadow and took in the sight he saw. He saw the wings immediately. He could only gaze, entranced by Shadow's heightened power.

"Super Shadow?" Sonic gasped, gawking.

'His Energy…? It's different. It doesn't have that berserk element. And…' Sonic's eyes shimmered hopefully. 'He's calmed down. What happened in there?'

Shadow slightly turned his head to show that he had acknowledged Sonic. "I want all of this to end," Shadow said softly. "So I will defy Anelixe's orders and save everyone…" He glanced down at the ground. "For Mother."

Sonic blinked, but gasped, seeing Super Shadow levitating into the air.

"Hey, wait!" Sonic cried after him, reaching out. "Shadow!"

But Shadow did not heed his cry. His eyes shimmered with a newfound confidence and strength within himself, and he decided to use them against the ARK. With that, he rocketed toward the sky, where the massive ball of fire could be seen falling toward the Earth below.

Anyone who was cognizant enough of the situation knew that there was no escaping the ARK's path. The people that knew this were the ones who just stood there, in the middle of the streets, out of their cars and homes, staring at their demise.

The paramedic caring for the little red-haired girl carried her away, racing back toward the ambulance.

"Mommy! Mommy, help!" the little girl cried out fearfully.

* * *

><p>Captain Tomohiro was awed by what was heading directly at him, his fleets, and the planet. His jaw was slightly agape, his lavender eyes wide with fright.<p>

"Sir?" One of his other pilots sounded panicked, apparently aware of the situation at hand as well.

But the Captain blinked, grimacing heavily. "Stay on course, everyone! We _have _to catch that hedgehog, _regardless!"_

He and his accompaniment soared toward what was Prison Island, concerned, yet not faltering.

* * *

><p>Back in the GUNFF Area 11 Headquarters, everyone was scurrying around, trying to curb the widespread hysteria the entire world was under. Secretaries, military agents, and armed forces were too discombobulated to communicate effectively, and the President was getting swamped by all the distress calls that were coming in. He growled under his breath.<p>

"Where are my remaining Federal Forces squadrons?" he asked a commanding officer.

"Sir, the majority of the Air Force, Army Brigade, and Naval Brigade are working to transport civilians to other parts of the world that were deemed 'safe'—!"

"There's _no _place that is deemed safe, Roderich!" He sighed roughly. "This is all my fault! If only I had acted quicker…! If only Rouge were here… Maybe I shouldn't have forced her into this mess. Now, the world's going to pay for my mistake!"

Commander Roderich gave the President a worried look. Despite all the loudness and franticness around him, he was able to say 'Sir…' calmly in his mind.

The President glowered sternly. "Rouge… where are you?"

"Looks like this is it, sir."

The President and Commander Roderich turned to see the Mecha Assault Leader walk in. They blinked.

He stood with his arms akimbo. "The End of the World."

Commander Roderich didn't know how to take that, so he blinked a little. He looked back to see his superior sighing hopelessly.

"It seems like you're right for once," the President said playfully, snickering a little. He hesitated before looking back out the window at the ARK's megatonic form burning through the sky at an alarming rate. He sighed. "I wish all of my best officers were here with me…" Then, he looked back at them with a nervous smile. "But we're a few short." He chuckled a little.

"So it seems," Commander Roderich attested.

"Well." The President saluted them with a mixture of hope and grief hanging in his heart. "It was an honor to have you working with me, by my side, gentlemen. May the God bless both of you."

The Commander and Assault Leader returned the farewell gesture. "As to you, sir," they said together.

He nodded. 'May the God take us swiftly… and bless us all.'

* * *

><p>In the Federal Forces Global Positioning Satellite Chain, high above in space and along the Moon's orbit, the two Astronautics Marshals were monitoring the ARK's descent. Their eyes and minds were tending to the situation at hand.<p>

"Marshal Roderich," the dark-skinned Marshal called, floating toward him.

He looked at her. "Did you see something, Harris?"

Marshal Harris looked out the tough Plexiglas pane and saw a bright, shimmering dot of light heading toward the ARK. She pointed at it. "Look!"

Super Shadow was speeding through the sky. Finally able to control his powers once again, Shadow rocketed toward the incoming ARK. Now, with the death of his mother—at first—weighing down his heart, the event was making much more sense to Shadow.

'Mother…' he said silently.

Shadow realized through his visions that Laura's words of not always being there with him were true. He figured out the concept of death through the stages of grief that he had gone through.

And finally, he had reached acceptance.

The concept of death was never really grasped by Shadow because he himself was created to be immortal and ageless. Death would never affect him in the ways Laura had described, but there was always that distinct possibility for Shadow because he was not impervious to damage, not without his Chaos abilities, anyway. The chances of him dying were slim, but that possibility would always be there.

Whether Rouge liked it or not.

Righteous tears fell away from Shadow's eyes. 'This… is for you…!'

Rouge and the others could only gaze mind-numbingly at the slowly eroding ARK making its descent toward the Earth. Everyone was somewhat hopeful that Sonic would be able to do something to stop it, but more evidently, it would be Shadow. Knuckles stood next to Rouge; Tails held onto Rouge's hand, gazing at the fiery space colony dismally; the Chaotix were fixated on the little gleam of golden light that was speeding toward the flaming titanic; Amy and Cream held each other close, prayerfully entranced by what they were seeing. Cheese blinked away his tears.

Rouge held her hand up to her chest, only for her tears to continue falling once more.

'Shadow…! Sonic, please, help him!'

"Hang on, Shadow!"

Sonic's power increased to a new height. It was transmuted into a new form of energy that took shape from the Chaos Emeralds as twin, feathery, opalescent splendors. His courage and determination had created a new form of Energy, one and the exact same as Shadow's.

His heart raced, and he couldn't risk waiting any longer. So, the now winged golden hedgehog accelerated toward the colossal mass of heated metal, in pursuit of Shadow.

"Here I come!"

Lightning struck wildly down from the crimsoning heavens, as well as the thunder bowling.

But Shadow soared through it all. Determination was fueling him to propel forward; he was entering the last few kilometers of the stratosphere when he came close enough to the ARK. He threw out his hands, in attempts to halt the ARK. He pressed the Chaos Energy in his hands against the Space Colony's hull, hopefully able to stop it from its pace. His hover skates blasted out more energy, but he was still struggling; but then, two more pairs of wings blossomed from the remainder of his back and flared a little.

Knowing that he could not hold out for very long, he called upon his inner strength to summon a counter.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

Right then, all six of his wings shimmered a bright pearlescent gold, and power was emitted from Shadow's palms.

It covered the span of the entire Space Colony, as well as the Earth.

* * *

><p>Time was brought to a standstill. Everything outside of Shadow was frozen, now that his power had rapidly multiplied. The Earth—and the ARK—were frozen in place; everything had ceased.<p>

Super Sonic reopened his eyes and saw that everything outside of him was still, paralyzed in time. He blinked a little, feeling himself flying toward something, but not seeing what it was. He looked around and saw that the ARK had disappeared. He blinked again.

Super Sonic was caught in the Chaos Control Shadow had set, but wasn't affected because of his match with Shadow in power. Chaos Control did, however, freeze everyone on the Earth below, including his friends. He saw this, smirking thankfully down at them. Refocusing, he flew toward where the ARK had been.

'Shadow,' he thought faintly, but suddenly with alertness, 'Shadow!'

Super Sonic searched fervently for Shadow's golden-beige form as he continued to glide effortlessly through the Earth's atmosphere and out into space. Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary up there. He glanced over and saw the moon, it being frozen in time as well.

"This Chaos Control covered a wide span of everything within Earth's range," Sonic said to himself. "Wow."

Then, he took a look to his other side and saw a GUN satellite. He squinted, and from that distance, he saw a familiar-looking face. He blinked a little.

He saw Marshal Harris.

"Could that be… Laura?" Super Sonic exclaimed. But then, he relaxed. "Wait…! But that would be impossible…?" He blinked again, staring at her time-frozen form. She seemed to have her eyes fixated on the ARK—where it would have been. Even though she wasn't moving, he could see how beautiful she was, and why Shadow loved Laura so much: She appeared to have a kind spirit, Marshal Harris did. She had a pensive glower on her face, but everything about her screamed Laura. Even though Sonic wasn't clear on Laura's exact appearance, he had a hunch that Marshal Harris was a descendant of Shadow's mother.

So Sonic smiled. 'Don't worry,' he thought with kindness in his heart. 'Shadow and I will save you.'

Super Sonic resumed his search for Shadow, but he could not sense his presence. The notion was beginning to make Sonic nervous.

"Shadow!" he called out, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Shadow!"

But suddenly, a bright light flashed somewhere in front of him, not too far off. The ARK had reappeared and was placed back into its original orbit alongside the moon.

Super Sonic blinked. Then, he caught a glimpse around him again.

Everything was flowing back to normal: Chaos Control had deactivated once the ARK had reappeared, and everything that it had consumed was now unfrozen. The moon resumed circling around the Earth again, as well as the GUN satellites. Even the ARK started to revolve around the planet as if nothing had happened.

Super Sonic blinked again, looking back to see Super Shadow floating downward, toward him.

"Shadow!" Sonic cried out. He glided over to see if Shadow was all right. Sonic found him to be barely conscious and barely moving. His eyes gleamed lifelessly. "Shadow?" he called worriedly.

Super Shadow subconsciously felt a hand cradling his head while another hand held his back, in between his wings. Shadow's eyes brightened with life and he slowly blinked. "Sonic…?"

"Don't worry, Shadow," Sonic said comfortingly. "I'm here now…" Sonic smiled. He tenderly grasped Shadow closer and held him there. "It's all right now…" Sonic's voice whispered soothingly into Shadow's ear.

The golden hedgehog's wings fluttered lightly before coming forth to veil Shadow in an angelic embrace. The wings' feathers caressed against Shadow's, and a pretty sparkle of light shimmered, creating some kind of magical dust.

Shadow managed to open his eyes a little wider and become more cognizant of his surroundings.

"It's okay now, Shadow. You did it. I told you everything would be all right."

The two of them began to drift leisurely through the emptiness of space.

"Are you okay?"

Shadow blinked a bit slowly. He smirked a little. "Not really."

Sonic blinked in confusion. "What makes you say that?"

"My power is completely drained, and my body cannot sustain this form for very much longer." Shadow's wings were losing their luster. "That Chaos Control took the last of my Energy, and now…" He shut his eyes softly. "I can rest."

Sonic gave him a weird look.

"Sonic, I'm sorry for all the damage, as well as grief, I have caused. I just want everything to be righted, now. With that said, it would only be fair for me to rest now… right?" He smiled sweetly.

"But Shadow, this wasn't your fault! None of this was ever your fault! That crazy Madam General forced her power of authority on you and used you! But now, look at where that's gotten her? Shadow, don't apologize because it's all right, now." He tilted Shadow's chin up once Shadow had looked away. "It's all right. There's no need for you to worry anymore. Everything's back to the way things were; you've righted _everything, _Shadow! And now, you can come home."

Shooting stars shot steadily through the outer regions of Earth's orbit, providing a reminiscent background for Shadow: His ability to remember had long returned, and another memory he recalled was the comet he had pointed out to Laura when she was still alive. Her smile had pleased him, and her hand had gently caressed Shadow's head.

Refocusing on the present, Shadow could see remnants of Laura as gleams of sapphire in Super Sonic's carmine eyes. The new power Sonic had awakened gave them that beautiful gleam, and Shadow blinked away his guilt-ridden tears. They were wiped away by gentle, warm hands that held his face as well. Shadow's smile broadened slightly.

Sonic smiled at his friend. "Let's go, Shadow. We're going home. Just stay close to me, okay?"

Shadow's eyes looked away. "I'll stay as close as you need me to be."

The two hedgehogs' lips locked. Within pressed lips, an amazing transfer of power proceeded: Shadow was giving the rest of his Energy to Sonic without Sonic realizing it. As Shadow caressed Sonic's arms, as Sonic did with Shadow's cheeks and neck, Super Shadow's power dwindled ever so slowly. The lowermost pair of wings on his back shattered like glass. Their Energy then floated for a moment before being absorbed by Super Sonic's wings. Sonic's wings blossomed around them, veiling them in an aurora-like brilliance. Shadow's wings cringed frailly under those ever-shining wings. The two hedgehogs released each other from their kiss.

"Sonic, I…" Shadow lightly pushed away. "Cannot go home with you."

Sonic blinked, furrowing his brows sadly. "Why, Shadow? What's wrong?" He gripped onto Shadow's arms.

"I'm… losing more power by the minute." He grunted. "I won't last much longer."

"But…?" Sonic thought for a second. "What if I transferred some of my Chaos Energy to you? Wouldn't that—?"

"That's what I'm doing… to you."

Sonic gasped a little. "But Shadow—!"

"I… never wanted you… and the others… to be a part of this. But now… I think it's safe to say… that I'm glad that I've met you. Maybe if I hadn't… I would have facilitated the Earth's destruction… and all of us would be dead… including myself."

Tears slowly began to build in Sonic's eyes. "Shadow…?"

"I just wanted… to save you… _all _of you… from myself," Shadow explained in between pauses. "Because I know… that that was what… Mother wanted me to do."

"I know this is for the greater good, but isn't there a better way, where your life doesn't get thrown away?"

Shadow paused for a moment. He uncovered his eyes and sternly glared at Sonic. "I'm doing this… to save billions more."

* * *

><p>Back in Central City, the red-haired orphan girl clutched onto the paramedic's white jacket as she attempted to protect the little girl with her body. The girl's peridot eyes had clamped shut from the bright light that was Chaos Control, but now, everything was fine. She looked curiously up at the sky, empty and twilight-blue. She sighed in awe, along with the paramedic, as well as the entire city.<p>

Captain Tomohiro and his fleet of Helios Rockets were unfrozen now, as well as the following Federal Forces flocks. Everyone in the fleet blinked, including the Captain himself. But despite the brief freeze in time, they continued on with their pursuit.

High above Earth was one of the Federal Forces Global Tracking satellites, where Marshals Harris and Roderich were.

"Mr. President, come in!" Senneth paged Area 11. "Come in! Anyone, please respond! This is FFGT Satellite Six, come in! Come in!"

Finally, there was an incoming signal.

"Astronautics Marshals Senneth Roderich and Lorraine Harris, what's your status?" Commander Roderich radioed back. "Are you guys all right?"

"Yeah, Uncle Ace," Senneth replied in relief. "We're both fine."

"Good. Where is the ARK?"

Lorraine was snapping a few more digital pictures of the Space Colony and its current position in the moon's orbit. "Back in orbit, sir," she responded, uplinking her camera to one of the many computers within her range. "Transmitting image data to GUN Area 11 Headquarters. You should be getting some pictures soon, sir."

"Great job, you two." There was a slight pause. "I've just received them. Looks like everything's back to normal, now…? Still a little hectic here, but it'll be calm soon. No worries."

Senneth nodded. "Yes, sir." He disconnected from the transmission and pecked out a few keys on a touch-screen interface. He was analyzing the ARK's condition, seeing that it was completely "repaired" and untouched by any kind of damage.

"Hey, Lorraine?"

Lorraine looked over to see the interface as well. She blinked.

"There seem to be two life forms floating out there," Senneth looked at her. "They're both hedgehogs. I think one of them is Sonic…?"

"Amazing…" she said, staring down in utter astonishment.

* * *

><p>Sonic gasped softly. "What?"<p>

"Sonic," Shadow spoke, his voice weakening. "I have nearly destroyed the Earth. But now… my heart is telling me… to alter the effects I have dealt… upon this planet… and sacrifice my life… in return for the ones lost… and as a gift to the millions more that will be born." Shadow grunted again softly. "I'm sorry, but this must be done."

Sonic's eyes began to sparkle with a sense of loss and regret. Tears pooled in them, threatening to fall. "But Shadow… no, you can't."

"This is only reciprocality, Sonic. And I think it's fair to say that I must give my life for the ones that want and deserve to live… down there, on that wonderful, blue planet."

Tears crept in between Shadow's eyelids.

"But Shadow, you didn't mean to do all of this! Laura knows that! Rouge and the others know that! _I _know that!" He pulled Shadow closer to him.

Another pair of Shadow's wings shattered, leaving one pair left.

Shadow blinked, smiling. "You know, Sonic…" he began again, dust from the shattered wings snowing upward. "When I used to live on the ARK… I would ask Miss Laura… so many naïve questions… about Earth. But, one day… she told me… about the most beautiful place. She told me… about a place… called Heaven."

Sonic flinched nervously.

"She told me… that it was a magical place, where there was… no pain, or suffering, or dismay. Just peace, and solace, and happiness… and she also said… that you can stay there forever and ever." His childlike persona shined like a ray of hope. His bold crimson eyes twinkled with innocent recollection as a broader smile beamed across his mouth.

As they continued to float toward the Earth, he continued. "She told me… that when people die… they go to Heaven… and now that I'm dying… I'll get… to see her again… and we'll spend the rest of eternity…" Shadow's tears floated away. "Together."

Shadow slowly fell out of Sonic's light grasp and drifted downward.

"Shadow, no…!" He reached out helplessly, but Shadow was just out of his reach.

And Shadow saw this. His face softened into sadness.

"I'm so sorry… Sonic," Shadow spoke guiltily. His fur color had returned to its normal hues of red and black, and his face held a pleasant disposition. "Please, tell my goodbyes to our friends… and my sincerest apologies to the world. This… must be done. You understand… right?"

Sonic continued to reach out desperately for Shadow. "Shadow, wait! There's got to be another way out of this! You don't have to—!"

"It's too late, now."

Tears floated from ever-ruby eyes; blue-pigmented emeralds mimicked them.

"Shadow, no!"

A gigantic burst of energy radiated from Shadow. It blinded Sonic and as he strived against the massive force, it became stronger and brighter.

Sonic had thrown his arms over his eyes and cried out to his lost companion, "No! Shadow, wait!"

The female seraphim had reached Shadow during their ascent and appeared behind him. The bindings around their eyes flittered away, revealing Kazrafel's piercing yellows and Sutranel's gorgeous sapphires. Kazrafel frowned softly, as Sutranel smiled sweetly. Shadow bowed his head, flaring out his disintegrating wings. The two seraphs held one of their hands atop of Shadow's hands, which were clasped over his heart. Their six wings enveloped Shadow and began to emit an ethereal radiance.

Shadow's body began to turn to crystal, and his eyes gleamed selflessly before shutting one last time.

"Let this be the ultimate power: CHAOS HALCYON…"

On what was Prison Island, Rouge, Knuckles, and the others all watched the new iridescent light heading toward them from outer space. They didn't know it was Shadow's sacrifice, but they were prepared to take the worst.

Knuckles held Rouge's hand. He noticed tears racing down her face. That signaled the others to form a line. They all waited as the new light engulfed them.

'Sonic…!' they all thought simultaneously.

The defeated Super Sonic lost his golden coat, and his opalescent wings shattered as he was flung back by the immense power.

"Shadow!" he shrieked, feeling a sense of failure.

'I will never be alone again. Mother. _Aishiteru.'_

**Segment Sixteen Completed.**


	17. Epilogue

**Shadow the Hedgehog: ****The Just and the Fallen**

**Epilogue**

REMNANTS OF PRISON ISLAND—6:00…

Sonic was lying on his stomach. Rapid eye movement could be detected, as well as finger twitches. Even though he was unaware of it, Sonic was asleep.

"Shadow…" he whispered painfully.

After all the intensity that had taken place, he deserved to rest a while. The stress of trying to save Shadow was taxing—both physically and emotionally, and with that came saving the world from the Space Colony that had threatened to destroy the Earth. The latter was mostly Shadow's doing, and Sonic was trying to play a significant role in it. Shadow did put Sonic's mind at ease when he placed the ARK back into its original orbit; in reciprocal to that, however, Shadow's life had to be sacrificed.

Sonic moaned a little. His brows furrowed and his hands clenched into fists. As he motioned to sit, his joints were a bit stiff, so his knees and elbows popped quietly.

"Ow…" he moaned drowsily, caressing his head. He peeped his eyes open, only for his vision to be blurry and uneven. He shut his eyes, feeling the ground for clarity, but it was no longer barren and dry with ash. It felt soft and healthy of grass, of life. He felt around some more, his vision becoming clearer. His fingers motioned over the grass, feeling the blades and some dewiness. Then, he opened his eyes. They looked downward over his shoulder at something that his hand ran over. He plucked it from the ground.

"A flower?" he wondered, holding the blossom in front of his face. He blinked. He searched his surroundings, only to see that he was still on the island and that it was still intact. He stood from the ground, the flower still in between his fingers and thumb. He looked up at the sky. The clouds had regained their gray, overcast complexion and formations.

"Chaos Halcyon…" Sonic murmured softly. "It wasn't meant to destroy, like Chaos Ultima was. It was meant to heal and to give life…"

A zephyr blew past, and reflexively Sonic held onto the flower between his fingers.

"He gave his own life… to save billions more. Shadow…"

Sonic walked toward the edge to see the beautifully clear, calm, deep-blue ocean. As he went, he shut his eyes for a moment; when he opened them, he spotted a large shard of crystal drifting across his vision. The shard glowed a magnificent array of colors, similar to opal, which made Sonic reminisce.

Sonic had stopped and glowered sadly at the shard. "Shadow…"

The shard then started to shine, brighter and brighter. Suddenly, Sonic's mind was engulfed by the past, as well as Shadow's memories.

From fifty years before.

* * *

><p>Sonic found himself standing in a dark room, twin sliding doors swishing closed behind him. He peered through the darkness: there were a couple of laboratory specialists beside him, pecking at keyboards. One was a red-haired woman with large, round glasses that reflected the lighted screen on the console. The other was male, slightly taller than his colleague, and had blond hair and sky-blue eyes that were monitoring the touch-screen computer tablet attentively. He seemed to be talking to the woman pecking at the keyboard.<p>

Sonic stepped further inside to see a portly male specialist of Asian descent scuffling past him from behind. As he did so, his rectangular-framed glasses flashed with reflected light; that had Sonic blinking. A little ways ahead, there was another pair of specialists who seemed to be standing in front of a large tube of clear liquid. Sonic crept toward them, his ears homing in on their discussion.

"…turned out to be a compelling success, Harris," said another portly, yet older gentleman. The woman standing next to him turned and smiled down at him. "Just as we planned. Just look at him."

Sonic did just that, and was viewing Shadow in a dormant, infancy-like stage. He was the dark silhouette that floated in the tube. He remained semiconscious there, quiet and still.

"Shadow," Sonic whispered.

"He's perfect, just perfect."

"It's truly a godsend to have him in real life," the dark-skinned woman called "Harris" replied. She pressed a gentle hand against the glass tube, her smiling blue eyes gazed dreamily.

"You certainly have vision, Laura, I'll give you that. I'm very grateful to have you on this team. I'm sure your mother is very proud of you right now."

"It was an honor… working with you, Professor." She giggled softly. She smoothed her fingers over the glass viewing directly over Shadow's face, as if to caress his cheek. "He was our vision, Professor, my mother's and mine. We wanted a person like him to be in this world. And now, he's here."

Sonic blinked up at her. Then, he focused down to the floor, his thoughts seeming to form a clear picture. 'She really did love him…' he thought solemnly.

"Going by the sketches you drew of him, I'd say he was," the Professor spoke again; Sonic looked back up.

Laura nodded slowly, gazing admiringly into Shadow's sleeping face. She continued to caress the section of glass where Shadow's face was. "Shadow…"

Sonic could see the happiness shining in Laura's eyes. He reached out to touch the glass, but the room instantly shifted…

Sonic then found himself in the doorway of an observatory. He walked down a step and stood aside from the same scientists he'd seen from the last sequence, except one. He looked further inside to see the other specialists watching through a window, with pleased expressions on their faces. He blinked.

"Seems like she'll be used to this for a long while," said the young, blue-eyed, male scientist to the elder professor. On his arm was a little, white cloak. The redhead woman and Asian man turned and nodded to him in assent. "She's attached to him already, Professor."

The Professor nodded; the tall blond resumed observing the woman from before. Sonic came to the entrance of that other room and saw her. This time, he gawked, seeing her under full light. 'She _is _pretty,' Sonic said in his mind automatically. 'Whoa…!'

She looked so nurturing and kind. Her hair slightly flipped and was ebony-black and of medium length. Her cocoa-brown skin shimmered with health in the light, as did her sapphire eyes. She was caressing something.

Or, someone.

Shadow slept, curled in a fetal position, peacefully as the woman smoothed out his cheek. His calm breathing pleased the woman, telling her that he was in superb health and that the oxygen was safe for him to breathe. She smiled down at him.

He was perfect in every way.

Sonic just watched how comfortable the dark-skinned woman was, just stroking the hedgehog there. He blinked. Before realizing it, the area around him was turning white…

* * *

><p>Sonic returned to his body. He opened his eyes, and recaptured the crystal shard that was slipping from his palm. He blinked a little.<p>

"Whoa. Flashbacks?" Sonic asked, partially to himself and partially to the crystal shard. Its opalescent glow seemed ever so familiar.

The image of Shadow's smiling face impeded his thoughts for a moment. "Of Shadow's past, I guess? Shadow's origin… on the ARK. With… those people?" He blinked down at the shining sliver and blinked a little peculiarly.

Then, his mind was teleported back again fifty years.

* * *

><p>Sonic peeked around a tall tree and saw that same woman again, with Shadow sleeping in her arms; she was asleep as well. He blinked curiously.<p>

He saw the woman's eyes open slowly, and crystal clear sapphires checked on Shadow. The little hedgehog was cuddled up close to her, head against her bosom. She caressed the fur on his back, in between his back quills. She smiled sweetly as she listened to Shadow's soft snoring.

"Shadow…?" the woman called him gently, shaking his back with her hand.

The shaking roused Shadow out of his sleep, and half-dazed ruby eyes searched their surroundings. He felt the human warmth that was her bosom and sat up, rubbing him eyes.

Sonic blinked again, watching the woman lift Shadow gently and cradle him in her arms. His head nuzzled her neck, his little body balled into a fetal position within her harmless hold. She smoothed out the fur on his back, and started to walk away.

"Hey, hold on!" Sonic's voice echoed.

And yet, he could not be heard. His environment changed again.

He found himself in pursuit of them, only now in a long hallway. Next to him were panes and panes of airtight Plexiglas, viewing the Earth and millions of stars, including the sun in the distance.

Sonic slowed to a walk. "Whoa…!"

"Miss Laura?" a little voice came from up ahead.

That woman was holding Shadow, and she looked down at him with kind eyes. She smiled.

"Yes?"

"May I sleep in your room? I like your room; it's comfortable, and it has an actual bed…"

She then giggled understandingly. "Yes, you may. You can easily tell you're not like humans, can't you? A growing hedgehog like you needs fifteen hours of sleep at the most…"

As biologists began to pass them by, more began to bulk up in the hallway. Laura set Shadow down on his feet and resumed walking. Biologists waved at them and raved over Shadow. They were very impressed by him, on how well he turned out.

"Oh, he's precious," one female specialist complimented. "And he turned out ever so perfectly. Great job, Laura."

"Thank you. He did turn out perfectly, didn't he?"

Shadow stepped behind Laura, looking away and clasping onto her hand. They both giggled at his stoic bashfulness.

"Oh, he's so adorable, Laura!"

She smiled down at Shadow assuredly.

But then, something within Sonic was piqued. A strange aura of safety suddenly filled him with peace and tranquility.

"Okay…?" Sonic blinked curiously. "This feels—weird, but calming. Shadow…?"

Shadow smiled in return up at Laura.

"His smile mirrors hers," Sonic continued to follow them silently. He saw them clasp hands tenderly, as if they were mother and child. "This must be how Shadow always felt whenever she used to smile at him like that. I'm beginning to see how they were so close, and why Shadow would be so loyal to humans. It was all based on that emotion, whether it be trust, comfort… or love…"

"_My power is completely drained… and my body cannot sustain this form for very much longer. That Chaos Control took the last of my Energy, and now… I can rest."_

…

"_Sonic, I… cannot go home with you."_

"_Why, Shadow? What's wrong?"_

"_I'm… losing more power by the minute… I won't last much longer."_

"_But…? What if I transferred some of my Chaos Energy to you? Wouldn't that—?"_

"_That's what I'm doing… for you."_

…

"_I know this is for the greater good, but isn't there a better way, where your life doesn't get thrown away?"_

"…_I'm doing this… to save billions more."_

Shadow's words haunted every crevice of Sonic's thoughts. They made Sonic regret every single moment that he wasted attempting to save Shadow's life. Guilt plagued him as he roamed through the halls within Shadow's memory.

"Shadow…!"

"_You're safe with me…" came Laura's voice right then._

Sonic froze as an instant flashback flickered into his sight: the Project: Shadow symbol appeared. Then another: Pen sketches of Shadow…inside of a journal, Laura's journal. Laura, fast asleep, sitting at her desk, just having finished Shadow's smiling face.

More just kept coming: A small blonde girl with smiling eyes hugging a huge teddy bear, grinning, within a picture frame. Gerald's team of specialists crowded around a small bed, with a lump the size of a small human underneath the white sheets, with everyone crying. The white sheets flared, and turned into a white cloak, which was blown away from around Shadow's shoulders.

"Shadow!"

"_I promise," Laura said softly._

Sonic stilled for an instant and hastily shut his eyes. More flashbacks of Shadow's memories blazed through Sonic's vision like wildfire. Images of bloodshed, blazing bullets, and consequent death leered Sonic's fright into their trap. He could see the anguish and the pain through Shadow's own eyes, only for them to intensify the horror.

He and Laura were racing through the corridor, hastily trying to escape the gunshots that blasted lethal thunder. Several bodies were scattered all over the passageways. Blood that was spewed, smeared, sprayed, and slopped against the walls and floor made them crimson. The ferocious reality of it all overwhelmed Sonic. Familiar corpses filled the halls with their sanguine stench. They were desperate to escape, desperate to live. More blood, Laura's blood made its appearance, and Sonic could feel nothing but sheer terror.

All that could be recalled was that feeling, and the gunshots, and the blood. And all that could be heard was a scream.

"Miss Laura!" …

"_Mother!"_

"Shadow…"

Sonic managed to return, seeing Professors Roderich, Celton, and Tomohiro crowding around Shadow and Laura comfortingly. Tears continued to stream down Laura's cheeks. One of her tears fell into Shadow's, that were pooling at the edges of his eyes. It streamed down his cheek, that special tear. To Shadow it felt like a culmination of all of the professors' love into one specific symbol of togetherness.

Sonic could only look on at their final moments together alive.

"Shadow…" A teardrop strolled down his cheek as well. He lowered his head, and the teardrop fell.

"Shadow… no…"

* * *

><p>Both Kazrafel and Sutranel had arrived to deliver Shadow to Heaven. They released Shadow quietly and allowed him to wander through the Pearly Gates. His eyes peered through and smiled.<p>

There, waiting for him, were the four professors he knew so well.

And Laura smiled most beautifully.

"Mother…!" Shadow's eyes sparkled innocently. "Mother!"

Laura knelt down and allowed Shadow into her arms. She held him close, as Shadow held onto her. Their embrace was a special kind, a reminiscent kind. One that Shadow had missed so much when he was alive. But, he was now feeling that recognizable love he had been longing for.

Laura was right about that place: it was magical, and there was no pain, suffering, or dismay. Just peace, and solace, and happiness reigned, just like Laura said.

And Shadow was looking forward to it.

"Your friends will miss you, won't they, Shadow?" Irene asked, kneeling down as well, along with Allen and Tsumura.

"Yes, they will…" Shadow snuggled closer to Laura. "Just like I've missed all of you."

* * *

><p>"…Without her, he probably would've never been here. Or even alive."<p>

Sonic returned to his physical body, back to reality, back on Earth. He was still clasping the crystal shard in his hand. He furrowed his brows a little.

"The GUN saw him as a threat," Sonic continued…

The sun was coming up, and Tails had just finished painting the Sonic Monsoon II emblem on the new fighter jet. He stood back and smiled proudly, giggling boyishly.

'Sonic's _never _going to believe this one!'

Knuckles meditated in front of the Master Emerald Altar with the grand gemstone glittering brilliantly behind him. The Chaos Emeralds were there as well. The feisty red echidna smirked a little, and looked up at the morning sky.

"…But those people that were with him… saw him as a gift. That's what Laura saw in him." …

The Chaotix Detectives were watching the rebuilding of Radical Highway. Vector was fairly upset about losing the reward money: crocodile tears poured out, with a hanky at his eyes and bawled regretfully. Charmy had a sweat drop falling from his temple, while Espio quietly analyzed the sky.

"Just a little bundle of pride and joy, like a baby… like a son." …

Amy and Cream and Cheese were back home in the Twilight Babylon complex. Cream and Cheese were watching television, while Amy stood on her bedroom balcony, watching the clouds roll by.

Sonic remembered when Shadow and Laura were both asleep against the tree.

"He was modeled after her own heart, _her _own image. That's why their smiles looked so much alike…and why he kept calling her 'Mother.' I can see the connection, now…"

Sonic recounted on all of the events that had happened half a century ago and pieced everything together so intricately as if it could be a quilt. By the time he figured it all out, it was a huge, complex blanket full of different stitches, of links and reasons. And amazingly enough, Sonic had it all figured out; that made him blink a little.

But then, he sighed, closing his eyes again. "The GUN had been at that case for fifty years already, and that's why that evil general, Anelixe, was able to control Shadow: she was a mirror image of Laura, except maniacal and aggressive." He growled. "Shadow…! He wasn't created to harm anyone!"

Shadow's face appeared in his mind, from the time they had first met to the last. Shadow's crystalline form faded from his mind.

Rouge the Bat resumed her position in the GUNFF, but now, with the new advancement in ranking, at the President's covert right hand. Her Chaos Emerald-sized diamond was given to her as promised, and she kept the prize on her mantle.

Despite the failure she felt from the mission in her heart.

"I never would have thought," she began to ponder. "That such a huge incident like this would leave… such a huge hole within me."

The diamond glittered absently as Rouge took to the sky.

"_Let this be the ultimate power…"_

"Chaos Halcyon," Sonic finished softly. He relaxed.

He suddenly remembered their kiss.

He looked down at the shard's brilliant, opalescent glow in his palm, blushing softly. Then, he smiled. He looked up toward the brightening sky, the clouds parting to allow rays of morning light to shine upon the sea, as well as Sonic. As Sonic's eyes glimmered hopeful emerald, he gazed at the leisurely arising sun.

"You're in a better place now, Shadow," Sonic said. "Just like you wanted… right?"

**Owari.**


End file.
